Over the years we had already financed the purchase of four such aircraft – a Boeing Business Jet, a Bombardier Global Express, a Dassault Falcon 900B and a Fokker F-28.
They are still flying and we are paying for their maintenance and operation by the VIP No2 Squadron of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in Subang.
This latest toy that we have to pay and maintain is an Airbus A319 Corporate Jet which, according to industry sources, can cost anywhere between US$40 and US$45 million without fixtures. Converting it to VIP configuration can cost another US$10 million.
According to a website dedicated to the sale of Airbus aircraft, our luxury jet made its maiden flight out of Airbus Industrie’s Hamburg, Germany plant on Nov 29, 2006 and is now being outfitted by interior specialist Jet Aviation in Basel, Switzerland.
Taking the lower figure, the corporate jet will punch a US$50-million hole in our pocket. That’s a big hole. It’s equivalent to about RM175 million, which can build a lot of classrooms, hospital wards and not to mention mosques and rural roads for the rakyat. Or help rehabilitate Johor flood victims.
Source: http://kadirjasin.blogspot.com/2007/01/ano…esar-kadir.html
The ACJ has the ability fly 12 passengers in a luxurious layout up to 6,000 nm/11,100 km, i.e. Kuala Lumpur-London non-stop. But this requires auxiliary fuel tanks.
With the limited number of passengers, it makes more sense for the Government to fly the current Bombardier Global Express which is known to be faster and will not incur the operator commercial airline charges in the case of the ACJ when landing in foreign international airports.
The ACJ can also carry 40 passengers in exclusive comfort up to 4,500 nm/8,300 km i.e. Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul. But this range can also be met by the Government’s other VIP aircraft, the Boeing Business Jet which currently is configured to carry about 40 passengers in single-aisle four seat abreast as well as VIP seating arrangement.
Source: http://www.mykmu.net/modules.php?name=News…rticle&sid=5717
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September 25th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Over the years we had already financed the purchase of four such aircraft – a Boeing Business Jet, a Bombardier Global Express, a Dassault Falcon 900B and a Fokker F-28.They are still flying and we are paying for their maintenance and operation by the VIP No2 Squadron of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) in Subang.Have we, the taxpayers and voters, decided to purchase another luxury jet for them? I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall making such a decision.So I am surprised when I was told that our government – one that we voted in with massive mandate in 2004 and to whom we pay all kinds of taxes, fees and duties – had bought yet another luxury jet.