How is the new presidential plane that the government will buy

The decision has been made. Argentina will soon have a new presidential plane for logistical, security and economic reasons. With Tango 01, a 1992 aircraft, inactive for 7 years, the government of Alberto Fernández from the beginning of his term was responsible for searching with the advice of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an organization dependent on the United Nations, a newer aircraft and, if a pre-examination was passed Purchase (PPI) and financing agreed, you will soon achieve this target.

The aircraft selected is a Boeing 757-256 designated with registration N7575AG, which has the capacity to 39 passengers. It has a master bedroom with all amenities, and two guest bedrooms that can be adapted as meeting rooms so that the president can hold meetings isolated from his entourage. Unlike Tango 01, it can take longer trips Non stop to Europe or the United States. It has a Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engine, which is one of the engines with the most thrust.

The government submitted the bid document on April 13, 2022. Only Three bidders And only one, C&L Aviation Group, met all the requirements.

According to the report commissioned by the executive authority that received a response on November 21, “The displayed aircraft analyzed by ICAO exceed equipment specifications. Based on what was reported by this international organization, the displayed aircraft was born as a passenger aircraft in 2000, and was It was modified to VIP configuration in 2004 and redesigned in 2012.

Specifically, the International Civil Aviation Organization established in the comparative analysis between the two aircraft that the improvements offered by the aircraft to be purchased were: the year of manufacture, which is the year B757-200, 1992 and B 757-256, 2000; model; engines, with technical improvement and year of manufacture; ailerons (fins located at the tip of the wing and reduce the resistance to movement) that the presented model has, which affects the improvement of fuel consumption; It contains the latest digital multimedia system; a more modern navigation system; a Galley (crew workspace) is also more modern and has benefits such as a trash compaction system, high speed electric steam ovens, freezer and microwave; A more efficient evacuation system for the bathrooms and a more modern cabin lighting and humidification system.

Although Tango 01’s repair potential was initially evaluated, it was later denied. It ended up being not advised by the ICAO because of the difficulties in obtaining the parts and the time they were discontinued. This way it is passed to an option “Exchange”, that is, the replacement of the aircraft with a similar aircraft, of the same make and model. Argentina will pay just over $25 million for the acquisition. Three million will be deducted for the delivery of the Tango 01 – which was acquired during Carlos Syle Menem’s tenure at a cost of about 66 million US dollars – and the remainder will be financed in part by a loan under negotiation by the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America.

Among the economic reasons, it is said that according to the estimates of the government department for the period 2015-2019, 9862,186.94 USD and 379,198.00 EUR were spent on aircraft leasing. During the current administration, about US$4,371,286.36 has been disbursed for the same concept. Tango 01, which is inactive and has a low maintenance plan, requires about $200,000 annually to maintain.

Among the logistical reasons that led to this concern was the renewal of the presidential fleet. Transporting a president in a commercial plane is not an option, Alberto Fernandez’s spokeswoman, Gabriela Ceruti, made it clear at her recent press conference at the Casa Rosada. president “He travels with a full entourage, and must adhere to the security protocols of Argentina and the various countries. No On Thursday last week, he said, the president cannot get everywhere with a small bag and a computer.

All these recommendations were prepared by Casa Militar, who is in charge of the president’s security, in a note sent to the presidency. There it is also indicated that, among other things, in commercial flights “public areas of airports must be used, especially in other countries, which increases the risk”, and that “commercial aircraft are not subject to the control of specialized personnel and there is a lack of information about persons ( passengers) who share the flight” and that “the measures of the security personnel are multiplying (transferring means of communication, security elements, weapons, etc.), which delays travel.”

The aircraft will be available in January 2023.

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