Defence drops $450m on new luxury jets for Anthony Albanese and his ministers
Taxpayers will fund the purchase of two new Boeing 737 jets to ferry around Anthony Albanese, the G-G and key ministers, after plans to lease the aircraft were axed.
Taxpayers will pay $450m for two new Boeing 737 business jets to ferry around Anthony Albanese, the Governor-General and key government ministers after plans to lease the aircraft were axed.
But the public will be denied information on which dignitaries use the luxury B737 Max 8 aircraft until well after their flights, and their trip details will be kept secret on security grounds.
The jets are due to be delivered in July, replacing two 20-year-old Boeing 737s used by successive governments.
The new aircraft will be funded from unspent money in Defence’s 2023-24 budget, offering a saving of up to $100m over the cost of a 12-year lease.
Boeing says the 737-8s have three times the cabin space of a typical private jet, carrying at least 19 passengers on journeys of up to 12,220km without refuelling.
“Each BBJ 737 MAX is fitted with a unique interior specifically designed to fulfil your flying needs,” the company says of the aircraft.
“With spacious cabins and endless design opportunities, you are guaranteed to make the most out of every mission.”
The jets will be operated out of Canberra’s RAAF Fairbairn base by the air force’s 34 Squadron, which run’s the government’s VIP fleet. Senior government figures are able to use the aircraft with family members and staff after seeking approval from the Prime Minister or Defence Minister Richard Marles.
Under government rules, the use of the VIP aircraft is disclosed retrospectively, with the most recently available figures dating back to September 2023.
Defence no longer publishes the take-off and landing locations of each trip after a review ordered by Mr Marles – one of the heaviest users of the VIP fleet.
The Defence Minister told parliament last year that classified security advice had identified concerns about the release of “pattern of life data” for MP’s, their families and staff “that is of interest to adversaries, as well as a risk to their physical safety”.
The new jets have sleeping quarters and meeting facilities, and are fitted with business-class seats for all passengers.
Plane spotters snapped pictures of one of the new aircraft at Basel Airport, on the French-Swiss border, where it underwent flight testing.
The B737-8s were to have been leased for 12 years under a $372m contract, but the cost of the arrangement rose to $411m due to foreign exchange movements and was due to hit $550m over the term of the lease, prompting a decision to buy the jets outright.
“The Albanese government is committed to ensuring Defence acquisitions represent best value for money,” a government spokeswoman said, adding the decision to replace the aircraft was made by the previous government.
The new 737s will join three Dassault Falcon 7X business jets in 34 Squadron’s VIP fleet. The RAAF also operates a modified Airbus A330 that is used by Mr Albanese for major overseas trips when he needs to transport a large number of advisers and members of the media.
The grey KC-30A jet doubles as an aerial refueller for the RAAF’s fast jets. Mr Albanese was unable to take the Airbus on his trip to Beijing last year due to fears the aircraft’s sensitive military systems would be hacked by Chinese security forces.
He and his delegation travelled instead on the RAAF’s ageing 737s that the new jets will replace.
Mr Albanese has been branded by the opposition as “Airbus Albo” for his frequent international trips, but is expected to curtail his travel as the next election approaches.
The latest available figures show the Prime Minister’s VIP flights cost taxpayers more than $967,000 in the three months to September 30 last year. Mr Marles’s flights cost more than $274,000 over the same period, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s more than $233,000.
The flight data is supposed to be released quarterly but the reporting timetable has been hit by to an “unforeseen delay”.
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