Government agrees to purchase new €53m jet
Put Which Existing Has To New A Government The Tender To Repeated Due Years Over Out Replace Seen Recent Is At Learjet Jet, Which Breakdowns Cost Of Last The Was Year €45m,
The Government has confirmed the agreement to purchase a new €53m jet.
The new jet, which was put out to tender last year at a cost of €45m, is due to replace the existing Government Learjet which has seen repeated breakdowns over recent years. A statement this evening said that the final cost was €53m excluding VAT.
The Department of Defence has signed a deal for the French-made Falcon 6X with delivery expected in December 2025. The plane has the capacity to fly to the west coast of the US and will replace the ageing Learjet.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that the "next-generation aircraft will be a game-changer for the State’s transport, airlift and medical capabilities, with a range of over 5000 nautical miles meaning it can reach the west coast of the US without the need to refuel".
“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.
“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.”
Manufactured by Dassault Aviation SA the Falcon 6X will have a total seating capacity of 17 persons and a passenger capacity of 14. It will be operated by the Irish Air Corps from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. The airframe is currently being built in the company’s production facility in Bordeaux, France.
Since the Learjet came into use, it has been used for short-hop flights, primarily to Brussels for EU meetings, but the lack of a longer-range alternative has been criticised at times when Irish citizens required evacuation from places like Afghanistan.
Last year, the Government had to charter a €7,000-per-hour business aircraft to bring the Tánaiste to the Middle East after the Learjet broke down again leaving Taoiseach Leo Varadkar “stranded” in Paris.