Presidential fleet larger than three domestic airlines - report

Presidential fleet larger than three
domestic airlines - report
Found this very interesting report on
Punchng.com . According to the report, the
Presidential Air Fleet has more aircraft that three
domestic airlines combined! SMH! Read below...
The declining fortunes of the domestic
airlines have made President Goodluck
Jonathan’s 10-aircraft Presidential Air Fleet
larger than the fleets of three domestic
airlines combined, investigations by Punch
correspondent revealed on Tuesday.
The three carriers are Chanchangi, MedView,
and FirstNation airlines. Chanchangi has one
aircraft; Medview Airlines, three; while
FirstNation has  two.
IRS Airlines, with five aircraft in its fleet, has
only one that is currently operational. The
four others have been sent overseas for
routine maintenance for a long time now.
It can be technically assumed that the
Presidential Air Fleet is bigger than the four
domestic airlines, according to industry
experts.
Aerocontractors, the second largest domestic
airline, which currently has about 12 aircraft in its
fleet, is struggling under sundry debts like every
other domestic airline.
Indications have also emerged that the 10-aircraft
PAF may emerge the second largest domestic
airline in the country after Arik Air, which currently
has about 23 aircraft.
Aviation sources revealed, however, that unless
the plan to turn Aerocontractors Airlines into a
national carrier worked out, the declining fortunes
of the debt-ridden airline might force it to lose
some of its planes to foreign aircraft leasing
companies as it happened to Air Nigeria some
years ago.
Top aviation officials admitted that the large size of
the PAF could not be justified amid the dearth of
aircraft among the domestic airlines, which lack
adequate finance to buy more planes to meet up
with the soaring passenger capacity.
Apart from Arik and Aerocontractors, each of the
remaining domestic airlines does not possess half
of the number of aircraft in the PAF, according to
findings by our correspondent.
IRS Airlines has only one operational aircraft in its
fleet; while Dana Air has five aircraft, in addition to
those owned by Chanchangi, Medview and
FirstNation, according to figures obtained from the
industry.
According to findings, the PAF include two Falcon
7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, a Gulfstream 550,
one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian Air Force 001 or
Eagle One), and a Gulfstream IVSP.
Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2
aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet.
Each of the Falcon 7X jets was purchased in 2010
at a cost of $51.1m, while the Gulfstream 550
costs $53.3m.
The factory price of the other aircraft in the fleet
could not be obtained online. However, airline
CEOs put the average price of the Falcon 900 at
$35m; Gulfstream IVSP, $40m; Gulfstream V,
$45m; Boeing 737 BBJ, $58m; Cessna Citation,
$7m; and Hawker Siddley 125-800, $15m.
This brings a combined estimated value of the PAF
to $390.5m (N60.53bn).
Nigeria happens to be one of the few countries in
the world with a large PAF.
Most major countries in Europe and Asia maintain
two aircraft in their PAF, according to Wikipedia.
According to the online portal, Japan maintains
only two Boeing 747-400 planes in its PAF.
The two aircraft, mostly for the prime minister, the
emperor and his wife, and other members of the
Imperial Family, is operated by the Japan Air Self-
Defence Force.
The aircraft were constructed at the Boeing
factory at the same time as the United States’ Air
Force One. Both Japanese aircraft were delivered
in 1990.
Wikipedia also states that the Netherlands
government operates only two aircraft, a Fokker
70 and Gulfstream IV to transport the Dutch Royal
family and government officials such as the prime
minister and other ministers.
They are also used for international conferences
and for private trips by the Queen and the Prince
of Orange. For long haul trips, the Royal Dutch
Airline is used. Often the upper deck of a Boeing
747 is used.
The Queen of England and the Prime Minister,
David Cameron, often go on British Airways
chartered flights for long trips. Cameron was
recently criticised by the UK media for chartering
a foreign plane instead of a British.
According to Wikipedia, the Royal Squadron of the
Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of Agusta A109
helicopters, BAE-125 mid-sized business jet and
BAE-146 regional airliner to support short travel by
the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and senior
members of the British Government.
Countries like Ghana, Algeria and a host of others
in Europe maintain only one aircraft in their PAF.
According to industry experts, airlines spend
between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an
aircraft on its operation yearly. They say that
averagely, a little less than one-fifth of the cost of
the plane is spent every year on insurance, flight
and cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling, catering
and training.
Going by the fact that at least 15 per cent of this
amount is spent annually on operating the PAF, it
means about $58.57m (N9.08bn ) is being spent
annually on running the planes in the Nigerian PAF.
Some airline CEOs, who pleaded anonymity, had
raised concerns over the economic sense behind
the large mix of brands of aircraft in the PAF. They
said although the fleet size was large, the cost of
operation would have been cheaper if the
Presidency had maintained only two brands.
According to the Nigerian Air Force’s website, the
PAF’s current staff strength consists of 47 NAF
officers, 173 airmen/airwomen and 96 technical
and administrative civilians.
“The operational headquarters of the Fleet is
located at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while the
administrative personnel are at the Federal
Secretariat. The fleet has a liaison office at the
Presidential Villa. Flight operations, training,
aircraft maintenance and general running of the
fleet are funded by the Presidency,” according to
the website.