In the midst of an imminent war with Rwanda and a population of nearly 70 million wallowing in abject poverty, Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has opted to purchase a presidential plane estimated to cost the treasury about $100 million.
Since assuming office in 2019, President Tshisekedi has relied on charter planes to get him around the world. The head of State, who moves with a delegation of between 100 to 200 people on most international trips on which he spends between $1.5 to $2 million, will no longer have to charter planes.
According to information obtained by DRCNEWSTODAY, the Boeing 737-900 Extended Range (ER) Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 3 has a market value of $70 million with the interior costing anywhere between $8 million to $30 million.
Records show that the plane, Tail number T7-RDC, is almost 15 years old and was superseded by the BBJ Max which was derived from the controversial 737-Max.
The Congolese government appear to have bought the plane from Saudi Arabia where it was once used by His Royal Highness (HRH) Talal Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud between 2010 and 2014.
It transferred, while in Saudi Arabia, to the National Air Service for VIP use from 2014 to January 2023 when the Congolese government assumed ownership.
Sources have disclosed that expenditure was unnecessary as the presidency should have looked to other needy areas as priorities rather than purchasing a plane which comes with additional costs.
His supporters, however, believe that it was important for the Congolese government to invest in its own plane so as to guarantee the security of the president following reports of an assassination attempt on his life.
Congo’s last presidential plane, a Gulfstream IV was stranded in Spain for nearly 6 years for insolvency, and only returned to Kinshasa in November 2021 after all repair bills had been honored on the instruction President Tshisekedi.
The plane had accumulated penalties for more than 5 years which President Tshisekedi’s administration paid off but the actual fees were never publicly disclosed. It is unclear why the presidency has not used that plane.
