British PM flies the (Angolan) flag!
 

The UK government has demonstrated its "support" for its own national airline industry by pitching up in Tokyo to meet the Japanese head of state in a Boeing 747 belonging to Angolan Airline SonAir. As expressions of contempt, one couldn't be much clearer. With support like that....

Presumably you know for a fact that BA and VS had aircraft available yet No.10 didn't call them up out of contempt?

If I was PM I'd ditch BA ASAP - just "flying the flag" is a cretinous excuse to support one airline whatever they are like, or how they perform

It was an N registered Atlas B744 in SonAir colors. Still, shows the contempt that the UK government have for the airline industry here in the UK.

There is no such thing as BA or VS not having an a/c available. These trips are planned long in advance and if necessary, the airlines will make arrangements to make sure that they have an a/c available for prestigious contracts such as these.

err.. I think he already did, which is the point of the thread :ooh:

Has anyone come up with a coherent explanation as to why uk.gov hates the airline industry? I'd love to know why they have such a downer on us.

Are the pilots and cabin crew Angolan?

A Tory source said: ‘We always approach British carriers first, but because we were travelling during a busy holiday season, they were unable to provide an aircraft for a five-day trip.’

Well less than a month ago Cameron flew to and from the US in a BA 777, so one hardly thinks there's been some massive policy change in the intervening 3 weeks...

http://hotnewshome.com/wp-content/up...i_2167106k.jpg

Didn't Aunt Beth's Flying Club have a VC10 or Tristar free for a few days?

Pathetic excuse from Cam&Co - what kind of message does this give out on a visit promoting trade with the UK ..... and the PM cant be bothered to use a G reg frame? None available - bull me thinks. More a case of knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing

I can see good reason to have a plane from a UK based organisation flying Cameron and co to Asia for the publicity, be that BA, Virgin, bmi or the RAF

If that can't be achieved, why does it specifically need to be a G registered aircraft ?
News and media organisations are most unlikely to pick up on the country of registrationl - the only people who do are those with a specific knowledge of aviation.

Quote: "Has anyone come up with a coherent explanation as to why uk.gov hates the airline industry? I'd love to know why they have such a downer on us."

Overstress, would also dearly love to know the answer to this, it isn't just Calamity Clegg and his mates!

In BA replace 'British' with 'London' and it sums up the whole country really..

Adie (in the regions)

If it was Sonair then it's an AtlasAir aircraft operated by an Atlas flight crew. Unsure about nationality of cabin crew. The two Atlas/Sonair 744's are used to operate the "Houston Express" between Houston & Luanda primarily for the oil industry. I think it is a private charter operation. Atlas took the contract over from World's MD-11's a while back

This sounds like a Daily Mail wind-up. It sends a far more important message to Britain's potential business partners abroad that the government here is cost-conscious, internationally-focussed and supportive of business.

Most foreign press coverage will focus on the fact that he pitched up with a plane-load of British business leaders, keen to do business and trade with the countries being visited. Only the moaning minnies of the British so-called newspapers will focus on such irrelevant minutiae as this.

Perhaps BA is overcharging a bit, thinking your government was only bluffing to go for an overseas carrier...

The EU has banned all Angolan carriers from its airspace with the exception of a couple of aircraft from the national carrier TAAG which presumably get some special inspections and management while visiting mainstream countries.

Cameron's wonderful advisers have contracted this 747 from a secondary Angolan carrier, Sonangol, who to circumvent the ban on their country have got a US charter carrier to provide a registration for this aircraft. Isn't it great that our PM is supporting some grey market dodge.

I presume that, with the normal level of knowledge about aviation in the Prime Minister's office, they have no clue about nationality of airlines, EU bans, how to spell British Airways, or anything else. And our wonderful know-nothing Secretary of State for Transport can't advise them. They probably asked initially for the 747 to depart from London City.

I wonder how an Angolan company ever got offered such a charter in the first place. Of course, they are from a country where there is only one sure-fire way of doing business .........

Did this Atlas/Angolan aircraft fly out of the UK or did they fly a European leg first to avoid a huge Departure Tax?

If this was an episode of "Yes Minister" then sombody in Whitehall would be a member of the same gentleman's club as someone who played golf with another mason who worked for an Air Charter Broker who just happed to have a 747-400 kicking its heels for a few days. But of course "Yes Minister" was fictional.

Why doesn't have the UK military their own government tranportation service like other european countries? That way they would have additional security and safety measures as well as a way to always show their flag while being abroad.