The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, travels abroad with a military aircraft. He stated that it is not currently appropriate to purchase a presidential aircraft, although he acknowledged the existence of limitations in terms of communications on board the military aircraft. “For 4 and a half hours I was disconnected from reality in Romania”, he said.
Asked by the journalists accompanying him on the Spartan plane about the need for a presidential aircraft, Nicușor Dan explained that the lack of communications is a real problem, but the current context does not allow such an investment.
“At the right time, yes. Now is not the time, but for example we don’t have communications here, I was disconnected from reality in Romania for 4 and a half hours and it’s not normal”, the president stated.
The head of state stated that the use of military aircraft for foreign trips allowed a saving of approximately 30 million lei in the budget of the Presidential Administration. For trips over longer distances, Nicușor Dan said that a plane will be rented.
On Tuesday, Nicușor Dan is in Paris, where he is participating in the meeting of the Coalition of the Will.
Romania, without a presidential plane for over a decade
Romania has not had an official presidential aircraft for over ten years, a situation that arose as a result of the political disputes between former Prime Minister Victor Ponta and former President Traian Băsescu. As of 2012–2013, the president, prime minister and official delegations no longer have a presidential plane at their disposal, as was the case previously.
Between 1990 and 2010, Romania used the Boeing 707-3K1C as its presidential plane “Carpathians”, produced in 1974, known as “Air Force One of Romania”. The aircraft, also used by Nicolae Ceaușescu, was equipped with an official office, rest room and special systems for securing communications. The last president who used this plane for foreign trips was Traian Băsescu.
