Den britiske regjeringen får eget privatfly

[Upsaker]

Engadget melder at Storbritannias regjering får sitt eget privatfly.
Planen er å bygge om et av Royal Air Force sine Voyager, en A330-200, som tidligere har blitt brukt til transportoppdrag og fylling av drivstoff i luften.

Prislapp: 10 millioner pund, ca 131 millioner NOK.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron and cabinet ministers are set to get their very own Air Force One under new government plans. Reuters reports that as part of a spending review due next week, Chancellor George Osborne will announce that £10 million will be spent on retrofitting an RAF Voyager A330 aircraft (pictured above), which usually operates as an air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft, so it can be used for official government trips.

Unlike its US counterpart, the new aircraft won't be luxurious and it'll save £775,000 ($1.18 million) that was normally spent on chartering private flights. However, a government spokesperson has confirmed the plane will also be made available to the Royal family, so don't expect things to be too uncomfortable.

The idea for a UK-style Air Force One was first put forward by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2008 and was subsequently dubbed 'Blair Force One' by the media. However, then chancellor Gordon Brown scrapped plans to buy two private jets after the project was expected to cost up to £100 million ($153 million).