He already tried twice, but it seems that the third time will be the charm. As confirmed by the presidential spokesperson, Gabriel Cerruti, and after two attempts, The Argentine government is willing to fulfill an old dream that united President Mauricio Macri and Alberto Fernández.
It is about adding to the presidential fleet a new plane with all the comforts, enough for the president to travel the world and Argentina comfortable and relaxed.
(Also: Is the end of the war in Ukraine near? This is what intelligence files say)
The Tango 01 has been out of service for several years, the Government decided to go ahead with a bidding process through which an attempt was made to replace the aircraft without success.
This time, the aircraft was, in fact, chosen from the moment the specifications were drawn up. It was almost a screen to say “I want this” without saying it.
The specifications were configured in such a way that among all the planes in the world that were for sale, only one, the one chosen for months, met the conditions that it had inserted in the clauses of the call for bids.
The custom bag had two requirements that could only be met by an aircraft. POn one side, Rolls-Royce engines; on the other, a configuration not only VIP, but with a private unit so that the president is isolated even from his entourage.
(Also: What Zelensky and Xi Jinping said in their first talk since the start of the war)
But as has been seen so many times, the operation will have an intermediary in the middle. Always for more political than commercial reasons, that path is chosen instead of direct purchase from whoever has the plane for sale. Suspicions about the need or not to hire an intermediary will always accompany the new presidential plane.
As LA NACION announced in April, the process has been entrusted to ICAO, a specialized agency of the United Nations for cooperation among its member countries in aviation matters.
LThe purchase is underway and those interested had to present their offers until May 11. Later, the ICAO technicians recommended what was the best option to replace the battered Tango 01. Finally, the decision must be made by issuing a decree.
A delegation traveled to the United States to bring the new presidential plane: when would Alberto Fernández open it | By Nicholas Pizzi https://t.co/jSTGOuSiTn
– infobae (@infobae) April 23, 2023
From the Casa Rosada they confirmed the information. “The Presidency entrusted the United Nations specialized agency in aviation with the preparation of a project to obtain a aircraft for the Argentine State, destined for presidential transfers of this administration and of at least 4 future administrations,” they replied.
“During the government administration of the 2015-2019 period, the sum of 9,862,186.94 and 379,198 euros was disbursed, and during the present administration some 2,164,256 euros have been disbursed. It is also worth noting that, in rentals, small-fuselage aircraft are generally used, for few passengers and that does not allow the transfer of support personnel (custody, military house, doctor, ceremonial) who must issue tickets on commercial airlines, increasing the budget for presidential tours inside or outside the country”, the source added.
(Read: Why does HRW criticize Petro’s bias on former President Pedro Castillo?)
The call for bids had some peculiarities that make us think that the new aircraft has been targeted in advance. The brief call speaks of the “exchange of a Boeing 757 23A aircraft and acquisition of a replacement for a used Boeing 757 200 series.”
The idea of delivering the Tango 01, purchased in 1992 and which had a cost of US$66 million, was already at the head of the Government.
In fact, at the beginning of April, it exempted itself from paying export duties for the planes that make up the presidential fleet or to send abroad the spare parts that could be in its workshops.
The reason given is that spare parts are needed that are only produced abroad and require temporarily exporting the units for repair.
(We recommend: Bolsonaro goes to the police to declare the coup attempt on January 8)
However, in the market it was interpreted that it was to make an “exchange”, a procedure in which a disused aircraft is delivered to the supplier abroad in exchange for a new one. Therefore, the exemption is to avoid paying for what would be a definitive export.
“Precisely the added value of operations like this is the commercial destination that the offeror makes of the part or aircraft that is taken in part payment. On the other hand, and there are precedents that support this argument -they said in the Presidency-, The Argentine State does not have the regulatory procedures or the resources to sell Tango 01 in parts as a private broker can do it”.
Fernández’s plane arrives that will cost 22 million dollars that the country does not have. The roast and the increase for retirees with the leliq never came. pic.twitter.com/vIXVXnhx3Z
– April (@abrilcba_) March 26, 2023
But nothing suggests that the operation is as originally thought. Fairly this possibility of delivering the Tango as part of the payment, it excludes many from the possibility of presenting themselves in the tender. In turn, there is one more matter.
The call establishes that they must be fitted with Rolls Royce enginesin addition to being configured VIP, that is, with a meeting room, bedroom, as well as seats for the entourage.
As it is, the options are few. In fact, there is a plane listed in one of the companies that are dedicated to these operations that seems to be the one. It is a Boeing 757 256 manufactured in 2000. The striking thing about this aircraft is that it was configured as a commercial aircraft.
Suddenly, almost as if they knew what was coming, it was exchanged for VIP equipment and fitted with luxurious seats, a bed and luxurious bathrooms. Practically, tailored to the tender.
(You can read: ‘The US has no desire to maintain sanctions against Venezuela in perpetuity’)
It is not the first time that the Casa Rosada has gone to the ICAO to buy a new plane. In February 2017, then-President Mauricio Macri followed the same path.
That summer, a prospectus was published in which the price was US$65 million., which should include the plane, the pre-purchase inspection and the ferry, that is, the flight to bring it into the country. Then, in 2018, there was another attempt that failed when the 2018 crisis and the 2019 adjustment froze the expansion of spending.
According to that request, a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) had to be offered, which could be variant 1 or 2, built on a 737-700 or a 737-800, the same as the previous one but a little longer, and it had to be configured as an executive with a minimum of 15 places, although the optimal would be 19.
It was necessary to have a bedroom for the President with double bed, plus a private bath; that has an anteroom for meetings with the entourage, Wi-Fi connection on board, satellite communication systems and audio and video reproduction.
(Keep reading: The European Union will impose reinforced controls on TikTok and 18 other platforms)
“In the same way that qualification, tools and experience in the maintenance of the aircraft model are possessed, it is possessed for the engines. Changing engine models would imply a certification process for new scopes that They would include training and new tools. From the operational point of view, the Rolls Royce RB211-535E4 is one of the engines that equips this model of aircraft that have greater thrust”, they explained in the Presidency.
But everything passes and Argentina returns to old themes. Leonardo Barone, who went from being co-pilot of Alberto Fernández in the 2019 presidential campaign The director of Logistics of the Presidency of the Nation, is the man who was in charge of the operation.
For now, the President does not have a plane to go abroad, while its vice president, Cristina Kirchner, uses the other planes as a true air remittance agency for the family. Meanwhile, almost all the governors of the country’s poorest provinces modernized their fleet thanks to official dollars.
The head of state believes that the time has come for him to fly comfortably, he and the presidents to come. There he goes, looking for his new Tango.
DIEGO CABOT
THE NATION (ARGENTINA) / GDA
* Grupo de Diarios América (GDA), to which EL TIEMPO belongs, is a leading media network founded in 1991, which promotes democratic values, the independent press and freedom of expression in Latin America through quality journalism for our hearings.
#midst #economic #crisis #presidential #plane #Fernández