A new government jet, costing some €53 million before VAT, is to be acquired next year, the Tánaiste has announced.
Micheál Martin, who is also Minister for Defence, said the French-made Dassault Falcon 6X has been selected for the purpose.
The aircraft will carry twice as many passengers and have more than twice the range of the Learjet 45, which currently serves as the government jet and has been beset by mechanical problems in recent years.
The aircraft has also received a rebrand; instead of being known as the government jet it will be termed a “strategic reach aircraft”.
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In a statement, Mr Martin emphasised the roles the jet will be used in outside the transportation of ministers and the president.
“It will be used for a wide range of tasks, including the non-combatant evacuation of Irish citizens from critical situations, air-ambulance patient transfers, medical evacuation or repatriation of Irish Defence Forces personnel deployed on overseas missions and logistics support for the transport of supplies to Irish Defence Forces overseas missions,” he said.
Like the current aircraft, it will form part of the Air Corps’ fleet and will be serviced and flown by Air Corps personnel based at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, Dublin.
Mr Martin said it would be a “game-changer for the State’s transport, airlift and medical capabilities” and that, with a range of 5,000 nautical miles, it would be able to reach the west coast of the United States without refuelling.
“In addition, it will provide the independent and flexible air transport service which is an increasingly essential requirement to assist the government in meeting our national and international obligations,” he added.
The Falcon 6X, manufactured by Dassault Aviation SA, is currently under construction at the company’s facility in Bordeaux.
The department described it as a “futureproofed, new-generation jet aircraft” which will be more efficient and kinder to the environment. It will be able to operate out of “challenging airfields and in adverse conditions,” it said.
The jet is due for delivery next December and will be available in time for Ireland’s presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2026. It will carry up to 14 passengers and three crew compared with the Learjet’s seven passengers and three crew.
The €53 million price tag does not include VAT.
The ailing Learjet was first acquired in 2004 and is at the end of its service life. On occasion, mechanical failures have forced ministers to make last-minute changes to their travel plans in recent years. Last year, the Government retained a chartered jet company as a backup for ministerial transport for when the Learjet was not working.
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