The Government's plan to lease a second aircraft to ferry ministers has been put on hold until late next year, despite renewed difficulties with the Aer Corps' Gulfstream IV jet at the weekend.
A series of meetings which the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Mr Ahern, was due to have in Brussels on Sunday had to be cancelled when the Gulfstream broke down.
The Department of Defence sought tenders from 15 companies in September for a one-year lease for a 10 to 12 seat aircraft to act as a back-up for the Gulfstream, though little has happened since then. "The tenders are still being examined. In fact, there doesn't appear to be any pressure to act quickly," one official source told The Irish Times yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Government has no plans to replace the Gulfstream IV, despite persistent rumours to the contrary.
Early this year, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats agreed to lease a seven to eight-seat aircraft, though they modified this decision after the election to seek a larger aircraft capable of carrying 10 to 12 people.
A second ministerial aircraft will be needed during the Irish EU presidency in 2004, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, told the Dáil last month: "I am not sure how we can run the presidency without a back-up." However, he made it clear that a lease would not be signed quickly.
Mr Ahern went on: "If what happened last year had happened during an Irish EU presidency, we would be a laughing stock. We cannot allow that to happen."
