German Chancellor's A-340 Diverts to CGN enroute G-20

[Airbubba]

From Deutsche Welle:

Angela Merkel's plane experiences technical defect en route to G20 summitGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel's plane had to turn around and land in Cologne after only an hour in the air due to a defect. The plane has experienced several issues in the past few months. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's journey to Buenos Aires for this weekend's G20 summit was interrupted on Thursday after the government's "Konrad Adenauer" Airbus experienced technological difficulties in the air.

Issues with the government's A340 jets also caused travel problems for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during several of his diplomatic trips this year.

Shortly after departing from Berlin on Thursday evening, the plane circled over the Netherlands and landed at the Cologne/Bonn airport in western Germany — which is also home base for the German government's aircraft.

Merkel, who is also traveling with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz and a pool of journalists, hoped to switch into a replacement plane at the airport, but it is unclear how the travel interruption will affect the chancellor's attendance at the G20 summit — which is due to start tomorrow.

The pilot informed the chancellor and other passengers that a technical defect had caused several electronic systems on the Airbus A340-300 to fail, reported news agency DPA.


https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkels-plane-experiences-technical-defect-en-route-to-g20-summit/a-46514663 (https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkels-plane-experiences-technical-defect-en-route-to-g20-summit/a-46514663)

She normally travels on A340 16+01 Konrad Adenauer.

[tubby linton]

Very old A340 operated by a military that she has starved of funding. A shame that it didn’t happen somwhere very remote

[Airbubba]

The plane departed TXL and indeed turned around near AMS.

From adsbexchange.com:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x697/16_01_d1abb0e2946076a52ad57f6677b474a41a2ed3a1.jpg

[DaveReidUK]

Not a Bonn voyage, then ?

[Airbubba]

A social media update:

#Merkel’s plane stranded in Cologne on the way to #G20 due to a technical issue with the “German Air Force One”. She’ll fly commercial on Friday morning via Madrid, but miss part of the first summit day, according to journalists who accompanied her

[gearlever]

This incident is characteristic for German Military and Government.

[ShotOne]

I understand there was some embarrassment last year when the same aircraft was grounded at an IMF meeting because mice had damaged the wiring.

[CargoOne]

Be real - airplanes are having problems every now and then. We may question why Luftwaffe do not have a spare aircraft for her immediately available but otherwise there is no drama. It is not a combat mission, it is a largely civil aircraft which (I believe) operated to the same manuals as Air France or Lufthansa - what is the fuzz about?

[Starbear]

Be real - airplanes are having problems every now and then. We may question why Luftwaffe do not have a spare aircraft for her immediately available but otherwise there is no drama. It is not a combat mission, it is a largely civil aircraft which (I believe) operated to the same manuals as Air France or Lufthansa - what is the fuzz about?

it could have been a close shave. Nein? Sorry I’ll get my coat.

[CargoOne]

it could have been a close shave. Nein? Sorry I’ll get my coat.

i haven’t searched internet so I have no idea what has happened - do you know? Could be engine problem, hydraulics, pressurisation, avionics or galley smoke - while not nice, it happens every day will all kind of aircraft and nobody treats it as close shave. Unless there was something really serious - please share.

[AndiKunzi]

Very old A340 operated by a military that she has starved of funding. A shame that it didn’t happen somwhere very remote
This incident is characteristic for German Military and Government.
And since this is PPRuNe here, some experts not only do already know what happened, but those experts also know the root cause (maintenance and age) and who was responsible for that in the QMS.

[Bull at a Gate]

Dear Cargo,

The reference to "close shave" was clearly prompted by your reference to "fuzz". Starbear was trying to amuse us all, and in my case he succeeded.

Bull at a Gate

[Airbubba]

And since this is PPRuNe here, some experts not only do already know what happened, but those experts also know the root cause (maintenance and age) and who was responsible for that in the QMS.


From the article linked above:

The pilot informed the chancellor and other passengers that a technical defect had caused the "malfunction of several electronic systems" on the Airbus A340-300.

According to multiple German media outlets, the aircraft experienced problems with its radio equipment, but the pilot said there had been no safety risks. German news magazine Der Spiegel reported the crew had to use an onboard satellite phone in order to plan the landing.

They were squawking 7600 inbound to Cologne according to ADS-B tracking logs. Latest reports seem to indicate that they had a massive failure in their comm radios.

According to Der Spiegel there was a backup plane in Berlin but it was decided to be too risky to fly all the way to TXL lost comm and the decision was made to land overweight in CGN on 14L. Fire trucks were rolled to spray the hot brakes.

The Chancellor and her entourage were bussed to an official residence in Bonn to spend the night. Another Luftwaffe plane is scheduled to fly out in the morning to MAD to put the VIP's on Iberia 6849 MAD-EZE. Perhaps the backup plane has its own problems and they trust a scheduled airline more for the long trip.

The Luftwaffe's problems with aircraft readiness even in the VIP fleet are nothing new as others have observed here.

[Esabee]

Gernan magazine Der Spiegel report the a/c lost the ability to communicate with the ground and the crew had to use satellite telephones to effect the diversion. On landing at CGN they were given a very short rwy, the a/c was full of fuel, and the effort required to come to a stop then stuffed up the brake systems.

[judebrad]

Not exactly the greenest of airliners, you would have thought they would have had some A330's in the fleet.

[Less Hair]

Interestingly they took the shorter runway for their overweight landing to keep the longer one open for the UPS night hub. That's german pragmatism.

[PENKO]

Less Hair,
Do you know for sure if they were landing overweight? And if so do you even remotely think there was a performance issue in relation to the chosen runway?
Or do you always land on the longest available runway, never do intersection, flex or derated takeoffs?
No need to answer the question.

[Less Hair]

They were fueled up for Buenos Aires and landed after one hour - without any problems. Fire brigade was in place to cool those hot brakes.

[oliver2002]

Not exactly the greenest of airliners, you would have thought they would have had some A330's in the fleet.

This aircraft is a former Lufthansa A343 which was completely overhauled by LHT in Hamburg. I don't see where it's age plays any role. This aircraft is maintained by Lufthansa Technik so the usual comments about German military comments probably shouldn't apply.

[gearlever]

2nd A340 also in EDDK, but no crew.....
Kanzlerin gestrandet trotz Ersatzmaschine (https://augengeradeaus.net/2018/11/technik-ausfall-beim-vip-airbus-kanzlerin-gestrandet-trotz-ersatzmaschine/)

[Less Hair]

The crew of No. 2 had been kept at readiness but got released right after takeoff of No. 1. Afterwards their legal duty time left was not enough to go to Argentina anymore.

[mfeldt]

2nd A340 also in EDDK, but no crew.....


Interestingly the linked article claims that the affected system also prevented the discharging of fuel so the AC had to land fully loaded...

[Joe_K]

Interestingly the linked article claims that the affected system also prevented the discharging of fuel so the AC had to land fully loaded...

Yes, Die Zeit is also reporting : "It is currently assumed that a fault in an electronic distribution box, which control both the radio system and the system for discharging the kerosene", see https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2018-11/defekte-regierungsmaschine-konrad-adenauer-angela-merkel-g-20-gipfel

[Joe_K]

Not exactly the greenest of airliners, you would have thought they would have had some A330's in the fleet.

Nope, apart from the two A340 they only have six A310 (five of which are MRTT and the other is inherited from Interflug), a couple a A319 and an A321.

[Less Hair]

Right after takeoff, around the Wolfsburg/Hannover area. Satcom did the job.

[BRE]

According several media via SAT COM.
Then why continue out to the sea? Were they hoping to dump only to discover that the pumps were also done in?

[Less Hair]

They called Merkel up front first from some talk in the back and she agreed to turn around. That is not much flighttime.

[tubby linton]

Aircraft Comm systems are powered by seperate parts of the electrical system . The fact that other components also failed points to major problems in the electrical system.
This aircraft was grounded on a previous mission due to rodents eating the wiring looms according to news reports.

[Less Hair]

No. 2 is on it's way to pick her up afterwards.

[BRE]

Apparently, the failed box is called "transformer rectifier unit". A number of flight displays and some hydraulics were also affected.

So why was there independent power for all the other stuff, but the three radios were all routed through this TRU?

[oliver2002]

I'm not sure, but I guess the delegations going to BA are pretty large, so you don't just book a full bird onto another one. Of course you could take the chancellor there alone, but I guess that would violate a number of protocols.

The press corps and various mandarins distributed themselves on any possible commercial flight still available today, mostly in economy. Iberia ex MAD was the only option left for the Chancellor and her team. Other G20 heads of state were already on their way. She will miss her date with Trump too... this creates major protocol head aches.

[oliver2002]

Nope, apart from the two A340 they only have six A310 (five of which are MRTT and the other is inherited from Interflug), a couple a A319 and an A321.

The A310 used to be the transport mode before the two A343 were purchased from Lufthansa in 2010. The A319 are configured as CJs but don't have the range to get to EZE. The A321 (also used LH) has just joined the fleet after a 2 year retrofit.

[Less Hair]

A fuelstop is no big deal. Better than spending another night in Germany before starting to move.

[Less Hair]

With the support of your foreign office and the military you can certainly get some diplo clearance. What's the problem? We are not talking about overflying North Korea.
This is the only point about owning a fleet like this. Short notice VVIP-travel.

[Nemrytter]

God, it's amazing how many experts are on here. Merkel should hire this lot in future, then she'd not only get there on time, she'd probably arrive before she left.

[tubby linton]

A single TR failure should not lead to loss of all comms.There are four TR-1,2, ESS and the Apu TR fitted.

[Airbubba]

2nd A340 also in EDDK, but no crew.....

The crew of No. 2 had been kept at readiness but got released right after takeoff of No. 1. Afterwards their legal duty time left was not enough to go to Argentina anymore.

16+02 Theodor Heuss was originally positioned to TXL for backup landing at 1613Z and flew back to CGN at 1826Z, landing at 1918Z. 16+01 Konrad Adenauer started its turn back to CGN at 1914Z. It looks like even if a swap could be organized, as the reports say, no duty time left for either crew.

I understand there was some embarrassment last year when the same aircraft was grounded at an IMF meeting because mice had damaged the wiring.

Don't know if it also happened earlier but rodents grounded 16+01 in Indonesia last month:
German minster's plane grounded after rodents gnaw through cablingOct 14, 2018

Nusa Dua, Indonesia (dpa) - Members of German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz's delegation remained stranded in Indonesia on Sunday after rodents gnawed through the cables of a government plane during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Scholz himself landed in Berlin on Sunday after a 22-hour flight from Bali, with changes in Hong Kong and Zurich.

The Social Democrat (SPD) politician had to be back in Germany as soon as possible because of state elections in Bavaria and the need for consultations with his party.

Rodents - probably mice - had nibbled through the electrical cables of the "Konrad Adenauer," sources at the IMF meeting told dpa.

Scholz was told on Saturday that he should choose a few of his closest aides to return with him, and was initially asked not to report the incident, the sources said.



16+02 left CGN for EZE at 1257Z this afternoon. Will they book some return tickets just in case?

[offa]

I thought Airbus fitted a RAT in order to solve the electrics / rodent problem?

[Jhieminga]

... should have fitted a CAT....

[zerograv]

16+02 Theodor Heuss was originally positioned to TXL for backup landing at 1613Z and flew back to CGN at 1826Z, landing at 1918Z. 16+01
Konrad Adenauer started its turn back to CGN at 1914Z. It looks like even if a swap could be organized, as the reports say, no duty time left for either crew.

2 Crews, or 1 Augmented Crew, could probably push the Duty Time "envelop" a few hours, if the aircraft swapping at CGN would not take very long ...

[Volume]

the failed box is called "transformer rectifier unit".
The Geram joke about this device called "Gleichrichter", is "gleich riecht er", meaning soon it will start to smell (burned...)
These devices are from the stone age of solid state technology and not known for their superior reliability. Anyway such a failure should not kill all communication busses.
I wonder how much additional electric load all the additional governmental communication devices put on those busses.

around the Wolfsburg/Hannover area.
They were probably asking LBA for assistance...

I thought Airbus fitted a RAT in order to solve the electrics
When using the RAT you are no longer meeting the noise regulations :=
Not a solution to cross the pond.

[threemiles]

Can somebody tell how a single TRU failure can wipe out all comms and fuel dumping? Why couldn't they shed loads and switch between busses? What's wrong with this design?

[Big Bad D]

Can somebody tell how a single TRU failure can wipe out all comms and fuel dumping? Why couldn't they shed loads and switch between busses? What's wrong with this design?

A single TRU failure would not result in loss of all comms. Please don’t believe all theories from PPRUNE “experts”.

[nicolai]

Not exactly the greenest of airliners, you would have thought they would have had some A330's in the fleet.

Assuming you want this aircraft ready to go with the VIP traffic when you want it at fairly short notice, utilisation is going to be low. So is it greener to burn a bit more fuel on the occasional trip in this aircraft, or to use a lot of energy making a new aircraft that sits around doing nothing much of the time? Not to say the difference between cap-ex and op-ex, where if the buyer (in this case the government) has to put up the capital cost of a new aircraft when they buy it, they loose the opportunity to do something else with that money - maybe even something "Green".

They won't "borrow money to buy it", finance or similar, the Germans think borrowing money is wrong. Cost of a new aircraft on lease might well be higher than cost of purchase of an old one and operating costs for the low utilisation.

It's not always greener on the other side.

[Joe_K]

A single TRU failure would not result in loss of all comms. Please don’t believe all theories from PPRUNE “experts”.
So what does result in the loss of all comms, plus fuel dumping for good measure? And what else would they have lost on top of this, which wasn't reported?

[gearlever]

So what does result in the loss of all comms, plus fuel dumping for good measure? And what else would they have lost on top of this, which wasn't reported?

A340 is more than 25 years ago for me, so I can only guess.

DC BUS failure?

[golfyankeesierra]

I wonder if an ad-hoc operator could ever meet ETOPS requirements and so is more or less bound to use 3 or 4 engined aircraft if they want to fly point to point in oceanic and remote continental airspace..

[golfyankeesierra]

A340 is more than 25 years ago for me, so I can only guess.

DC BUS failure?
you are probably unaware of what a TR unit does:8

[Airbubba]

I wonder if an ad-hoc operator could ever meet ETOPS requirements and so is more or less bound to use 3 or 4 engined aircraft if they want to fly point to point in oceanic and remote continental airspace..

I don't believe military passenger aircraft are required to meet civil ETOPS requirements. Twins like Gulfstreams, 737's and DC-9's have been used across the pond for VIP transport for many years in the U.S. Many countries, e.g. Canada and the UK, use twins to take their heads of state overseas on oceanic routes.

[cessnapete]

I don't believe military passenger aircraft are required to meet civil ETOPS requirements. Twins like Gulfstreams, 737's and DC-9's have been used across the pond for VIP transport for many years in the U.S. Many countries, e.g. Canada and the UK, use twins to take their heads of state overseas on oceanic routes.


Perhaps in the spirit of Brexit we can loan her Mrs Mays nearly new RAF A330 VIP Voyager! Just back from on time trip to Argentina.

[golfyankeesierra]

I have no idea what regulations apply for military pax twin ops but I don’t think UK-AUS would require ETOPS, nor UK-Canada which would be approximately along blue spruce route.

[Airbubba]

I have no idea what regulations apply for military pax twin ops but I don’t think UK-AUS would require ETOPS, nor UK-Canada which would be approximately along blue spruce route.



Maybe there is a way to island hop and all like that but they definitely don't normally do it with the VIP twins from what I see.

Here's Teresa May's route home from the G-20 conference in her rented Airbus A330 tanker ZZ336:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1132x905/zz336_59f3d963dfe7c2c55ed8c44a50e51620e94af414.jpg
https://www.radarbox24.com/data/registration/ZZ336#1089433533

The French president departed EZE in a twin as well, F-RARF, another A330.

http://twitter.com/CivMilAir/status/1068973145548251136

[cessnapete]

The 14 RAF A330 Voyager Tanker/ Transports, are owned by Air Tanker a civilian Company, and leased to the Military. Some are also on Lease to UK airlines (Thomas Cook and Jet2) and are able to be reconfigured as Tankers at relativity short notice if required. They are ETOPs approved at build. So no problems with routings when the VIP configured aircraft is used, for example, direct UK Argentina.

[eagleflyer]

Then why continue out to the sea? Were they hoping to dump only to discover that the pumps were also done in?
Just imagine sitting at the front end, levelling off at FL300, and discovering that no one is talking to you. Maybe a couple of warnings ringing at you. How long would you think it would take to find out the satphone is working? And then: who will you call? And after you might have found a number: the guy on the other side will have to find someone who can help you. The one who can help you might not be the one who owns the airspace you´re currently in. There might be other traffic around you in busy airspace. All while travelling eight miles a minute. Might not have been such a bad job by everyone.

[Airbubba]

Here's a lead for Germany on a late model VIP aircraft for sale, you can see it on the ground in VCV.


The presidential aircraft was put on sale by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, near the end of his first day as president of Mexico.The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner TP-01 “José María Morelos y Pavón” of the Fuerza Aèrea Mexicana, was put on sale by the new President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at the Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico.

On Sunday, Dec. 2, Carlos Urzua, the new Minister of Finance, called a press conference in Mexico City during which, media representatives could observe the Presidential Boeing 787 not only from the outside but also from the inside, in order to get a glimpse at the VIP configuration: along with the official government seals, the aircraft interiors feature flat-screen monitors in executive meeting rooms, a presidential bedroom and what appeared to be a marble-clad bathroom.

“We are selling all the planes and helicopters that were used by corrupt politicians, the new President said at a rally in Xalapa, Veracruz, near the end of his first day as president of Mexico, France24 reported (https://www.france24.com/es/20181203-venta-avion-presidencial-mexico-amlo). Indeed, the sale of the TP-01 was one of the populist promises of Obrador during his campaign as a candidate and, later, as a president-elect.

The aircraft, considered to be “an offense to the people” and a national symbol “opulent and ridiculous,” was procured at the end of 2012 at an approximate cost of 370M USD. It will be sold (along with the rest of the 60 government airplanes and 70 helicopters), in agreement with Boeing: according to the reports, the aircraft will be sent to Victorville in Southern California, while waiting for a new owner, on Dec. 3.

Interestingly, the Mexican Government posted a sort-of auction on their FB page with photos and a text that roughly translates as follows: “It goes to California and is put on sale! Type of plane: Presidential, Type: Boeing 787 Dreamliner; Almost new; Very Luxurious.”



https://theaviationist.com/2018/12/03/mexican-air-force-b787-8-dreamliner-put-on-sale-by-new-president-of-mexico-on-his-first-day-as-head-of-state/

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/730x548/mexico_presidential_aircraft_e1543849686692_dd97128b590ecb99 7269a2b1d47688a69778bbcd.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/540x405/mexico_presidential_aircraft_2_eaac240c37c4010de0f6398fa5542 207db55fff1.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/mexico_presidential_aircraft_6_ebb854cb871060d3316c5ab221824 ff6a3b0b774.jpg



Photos by Alejandro Cegarra

[Lord Bracken]

Isn't the Mexican one of the very early 787s with performance issues, that wouldn't ever see airline service for that reason?

[Denti]

I don't think the german government will buy a non-EU build aircraft for their fleet, except in cases where there is no other choice. Which one could of course argue was the reason for procuring four Global 5000. Not to mention of course, that buying from Lufthansa, let it be refurbished by Lufthansa and maintained by Lufthansa props up their precious "national champion" as well.

[NWA SLF]

Remember here in the USA the president is still flying one of the few 2 generation old 747-200s still in the air with a nearly identical backup. Still for many of the trips a 757 is used because they are to airports that can't handle a 747. This is for a country that gives money to the military industrial complex like it is Monopoly money. Reason given is that the 747s are filled with high tech communication equipment when all presidential communication is done with an open network iPhone on Twitter. I really don't have a problem with having a presidential jet that can be recognized anywhere but one wonders how long a country so adept at military spending (yes, Air Force One is part of the military fleet) can keep growing debt while agitating the prime owners of that debt outside the USA - China.

[oliver2002]

I don't think the german government will buy a non-EU build aircraft for their fleet, except in cases where there is no other choice. Which one could of course argue was the reason for procuring four Global 5000. Not to mention of course, that buying from Lufthansa, let it be refurbished by Lufthansa and maintained by Lufthansa props up their precious "national champion" as well.

I doubt that LH needs such a prop, but back in 2010 the A343 was going very cheap. Their heads of state retrofit shop in HAM was filled with Qatari and other gulf orders at the time.

[oliver2002]

Remember here in the USA the president is still flying one of the few 2 generation old 747-200s still in the air with a nearly identical backup. [...]. I really don't have a problem with having a presidential jet that can be recognized anywhere but one wonders how long a country so adept at military spending (yes, Air Force One is part of the military fleet) can keep growing debt while agitating the prime owners of that debt outside the USA - China.

DT squeezed Boeing into giving further discounts for some more B748 to replace the VC20. I'm sure they just charged the discount to another defence order but still...

AFAIK only France bought their Presidential Jet fresh from the Airbus factory. The UK bought the A330 as part of a MRTT deal. The Queen started flying commercial in the early 2000s.

[MrsDoubtfire]

There are obviously some doubts concerning the explanations in this story, new newspaper article claims
Quote (Google translate): Contrary to what government officials have suggested in initial responses, security agencies can not yet conclusively state that it was all about technical failure. There are apparently indications from the friendly foreign countries. Experts had been skeptical as soon as the incident became known that both the radio and at the same time the device for discharging kerosene had failed
(go to tagesspiegel.de-zwischenfall-vor-g20-gipfel)

[Bidule]

[[i]QUOTE=oliver2002;
AFAIK only France bought their Presidential Jet fresh from the Airbus factory. .[/QUOTE]

This is not true. The French Presidential jet is the A330-200 MSN 240. It was a Swissair aircraft, leased from ILFC, from 1998 to 2003. It then became operated by Air Caraïbes Atlantique until 2009 when it was bought by the French State. After interior installation, it went into Presidential service in November 2010.

[AN2 Driver]

The French Presidential jet is the A330-200 MSN 240.

Dear old HB-IQB! Well, now I can say I flew on the French presidential airplane... even though at the time of course nobody knew.

[SMT Member]

Isn't the Mexican one of the very early 787s with performance issues, that wouldn't ever see airline service for that reason?

Indeed, LN6 - one of the 'terrible teens'.

[nicolai]

The 14 RAF A330 Voyager Tanker/ Transports, are owned by Air Tanker a civilian Company, and leased to the Military. Some are also on Lease to UK airlines (Thomas Cook and Jet2) and are able to be reconfigured as Tankers at relativity short notice if required. They are ETOPs approved at build. So no problems with routings when the VIP configured aircraft is used, for example, direct UK Argentina.


Not only does the design have to be ETOPS approved, but so do the maintenance procedures. Of course, many consider it good practice to maintain all aircraft in the ETOPS style (separate work on each engine instead of the same people working on both, and os on) and have a reduced rate of problems and maintenance errors as a result. But it's not just buying an ETOPS-stickered aircraft and doing nothing different from then on.

I don't think the german government will buy a non-EU build aircraft for their fleet, except in cases where there is no other choice. Which one could of course argue was the reason for procuring four Global 5000. Not to mention of course, that buying from Lufthansa, let it be refurbished by Lufthansa and maintained by Lufthansa props up their precious "national champion" as well.

They couldn't possibly buy a Falcon 7X or 8X?

I have to say, a lot of operators have their maintenance done by Lufthansa Technik so they can't be that price-uncompetitive. It's a reasonable choice, even if it does support their national airline a little.

[Denti]

They couldn't possibly buy a Falcon 7X or 8X?


Yes, there was some minor argument about that. As the predecessor was the Challenger 601, they probably just stuck with the OEM, although, even here, the whole process of procurement, cabin fit etc. was done by Lufthansa, which was the general contractor for the complete fleet renewal with Airbus A340, A319ACJ and the Globals. And one of the points that made the Global 5000s more palatable, was the fact that the engines of those jets were manufactured just outside Berlin by Rolls-Royce. And complete french products without german part? Not really wanted either i guess ;)

[ATC Watcher]

Re the Mexican garage sale , my Mexican friends tell me it is just a populist PR stunt. Nobody believes for 1 second that the new President will travel on public transport in the coming years. This is Mexico, not some egalitarian Scandinavian country .

[Less Hair]

He will need Satcom and all the staff bells and whistles. Don't see him fly airlines for long.
A firesale will not save money now after they converted it. And it's a very early exot frame and possibly not easy to resell.

[The Ancient Geek]

None of which matters, this is politics.

[garpal gumnut]

A bit off topic.

Does anyone have details of Vlad Putin's craft and route to Argentina?

[DaveReidUK]

A bit off topic.

Does anyone have details of Vlad Putin's craft and route to Argentina?

Let me Google that for you (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=putin+g20+arrival)

[Uplinker]

Would it not have made more sense to bring the back-up crew on duty 2-3 hours’ later than the main crew, so in the event of a delay or turnback, the reserve crew would still be in hours for the trip?

[ATC Watcher]

Would it not have made more sense to bring the back-up crew on duty 2-3 hours’ later than the main crew, so in the event of a delay or turnback, the reserve crew would still be in hours for the trip?
You should change your user name to Captain Hindsight ! :-) but it is not the way the GAF works with VIP flights .

[averdung]

Re the Mexican garage sale , my Mexican friends tell me it is just a populist PR stunt. Nobody believes for 1 second that the new President will travel on public transport in the coming years. This is Mexico, not some egalitarian Scandinavian country .
He is traveling commercial, messing up everything because each time he flies they have to inspect the aircraft and luggage twice, and by always traveling in the emergency exit row despite being a 65-year-old geezer with heart disease and high blood pressure that can't lift a door worth a damn. The bloody idiot screws up Aeromexico's scheduling while the 787 sits in VCV to be sold at an eight-figure loss because nobody wants one of the terrible teens for commercial operation (the reason MX could afford it in the first place, a rock-bottom lease).

[homonculus]

I expect he is grateful not to be the German Chancellor if you are representative of the German voter. Poor chap just cant get it right, can he? Not too sure about your medical diagnosis either........Personally I would like to see more politicians flying with the proletariat

[sledge16]

Some news from German news page DER SPIEGEL: Zwischenfall im Kanzler-Airbus bleibt rätselhaft (google this quote and use google translate for translation).
They still couldn't find the reason for the incident. The problem couldn't be reproduced. Even Lufthansa Technik have no idea how this happened. Plane is still in their workshop and not active.

[Denti]

And apparently, as a result of that incident some parts of the government are discussing getting either a brand new A350 or A330 (NEO probably) for chancellor transportation services. Although all jets of the Flugbereitschaft are used for all of the government and quite often for MPs as well, even those of the opposition in some cases.

[RealUlli]

And apparently, as a result of that incident some parts of the government are discussing getting either a brand new A350 or A330 (NEO probably) for chancellor transportation services. Although all jets of the Flugbereitschaft are used for all of the government and quite often for MPs as well, even those of the opposition in some cases.

I still hope they're going to help out Lufthansa, take one or two of their A380s off their hands, pay them to turn them into VVIP planes and then pay them to keep them maintained. That way, the government can support the national airline (who have a reputation for doing a good job at that). They also might want to get a few crews of Lufthansa security clearances so they are allowed to fly the chancellor - I think the risk of having a crew subverted is less than having crews with too low flight time. Of course, Lufthansa then has to make sure these crews are not too fatigued... :-)

Also, we get a chance to spite Donnie a bit at the next G20 summit... :-P

Edit: corrected formatting

[Denti]

Well, the A340s are maintained by Lufthansa, apparently not such a good job they did there. And the security clearance is not the big issue, it is a military airplane and requires a military license to fly, as lufthansa refuses to take ex luftwaffe pilots (except as FIs in Bremen) that could be an issue.

[Denti]

According to a Spiegel (http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/lufthansa-fehler-der-der-fluglinie-verursachte-angela-merkels-g20-odyssee-a-1245430.html) report it was after all a Lufthansa maintenance fault. The start of the failure chain was a faulty soldering joint in one of the TRs, which usually should not be a big issue. However, after reconfiguring the aircraft the remaining system lasted only for about 70 seconds until it failed as well, as several faulty solenoids were installed in that aircraft. Additionally Lufthansa replaced the original AMU with a digital one, without updating the documentation (SB A340-23-4242), which lead to the embarrassing issue that the crew did not have the correct procedures available and therefore was unable to restore communication (apart from SATCOM to their OPS).

[Rengineer]

I doubt the veracity of that Spiegel report. They have a history. And frankly, I struggle to understand how LH Technik would blunder their technical documentation this way. Any comments?

[Denti]

New reports today. Apparently the ministry of defense will buy three brand new A350 to replace their two old A340s directly from Airbus. The first one is supposed to be delivered at the end of this year and will probably join the fleet in the middle of next year, at that time most probably without VIP interior, just the usual communication and defensive stuff installed and a normal passenger cabin interior. Germany can take advantage of open delivery slots after some other airbus customers decided not to buy their ordered jets.

[Less Hair]

Most stupid and expensive selection. They better should buy A330 Tankers and fit some modest VIP cabin inside. Like the Brits do.

[Airbubba]

Looks like some new planes on order.

German government orders three Airbus A350-900 to prevent VIP delays

https://airlinerwatch.com/content/images/2019/04/Luftwaffe-VIP-Airbus.jpgBerlin - Luftwaffe (German Air Force) will buy three brand-new Airbus A350-900 for VIP transportation. The aircraft will cost the German government around 1.2 billion euros (USD 1.35 billion) including interior equipment, such as VIP cabins, and the special security systems.

The Ministry of Defense justifies the purchase stating that absences or late arrivals to damage the national interests and the reputation of Germany."The federal government's ability to function, especially its ability to work, is essentially based on its ability to be mobile worldwide," said the ministry in a statement.

Last year in November, Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived late at the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires due to the technical problems with a Luftwaffe Airbus A340 transporting her to the summit.

The German prime minister is not the only one who was affected by these delays. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, and Development Minister Gerd Mueller, among others, were also affected by the delays.

In January, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Ethiopia with a three hour delay after his plane encountered technical problems in Berlin before takeoff.

In January, Development Minister Gerd Müller had to cancel a trip to Namibia during his Africa tour due to another aircraft failure.

And finally early this month, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was stranded in Mali.

In 2015, Merkel had to fly to India in a military cargo plane, a C130 Hercules, due to unavailability of the VIP plane.

The first Airbus A350-900 will be delivered to the German Air Force in June 2020 and the other two aircraft in 2022. They will replace the two 20 years old Airbus A340.

With the new jets, the government hopes to finally get rid of the embarrassing headlines in the German media.





https://airlinerwatch.com/german-government-orders-three-airbus-a350-900-to-prevent-vip-delays/

[DaveReidUK]

In 2015, Merkel had to fly to India in a military cargo plane, a C130 Hercules, due to unavailability of the VIP plane.

That would be a great story, if only it was true.

Angela Merkel arrives in India on 3-day visit, to meet PM Narendra Modi today (https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/angela-merkel-arrives-to-hold-talks-with-pm-narendra-modi-october-5-2015/story/224384.html)

[threemiles]

All maintenance of all Luftwaffe AIRBUS planes is outsourced to Lufthansa Technik. There is an overexpectation in the media with regard to realistic delay and cancellation rate. Tis is no worse than for commercial fleets. The problem is non-availability of backup aircraft, rather than technical incompetence. The fleet is simply too small.