Aircraft used for overseas Royal Flights
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: uk
Posts: 277
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Aircraft used for overseas Royal Flights
Just seen a news clip relating to the upcoming execution of the Bali Bombers which mentioned that Prince Charles had just arrived for unrelated meetings.
Of interest was that he arrived in an Airbus, think it was a 320, certainly one of the 320 series. Anyway, the jet was all white but with a stripe down the fuselage, much like the Royal Flight. In addition there was a Union Flag painted next to the forward left door.
Question is who does this jet belong to? Seen Charlie use many private/chartered business jets but not with the addition of the Flag.
Cheers
Of interest was that he arrived in an Airbus, think it was a 320, certainly one of the 320 series. Anyway, the jet was all white but with a stripe down the fuselage, much like the Royal Flight. In addition there was a Union Flag painted next to the forward left door.
Question is who does this jet belong to? Seen Charlie use many private/chartered business jets but not with the addition of the Flag.
Cheers
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: uk
Posts: 277
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not sure of the news outlet, was just flicking through, might have been Euro News or whatever its called.
Presume that it is a private hire, just surprised at the addition of the Flag.
Maybe Charlie is trying one out before putting a word in with 32.
Presume that it is a private hire, just surprised at the addition of the Flag.
Maybe Charlie is trying one out before putting a word in with 32.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sydney, AU
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The sticker is most likely to give the impression that the aircraft belongs to the British government. Very important in that part of the world. You cannot have the heir to the British throne looking like a scruff when the prime minister of Australia arrives in his RAAF 737 BBJ and the NZ one in her RNZAF 757-200.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: W Sussex
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Bring back TQF!
A dedicated Royal Aircraft, oh no! Come on you chaps, theres a bank or two to bail out first. What about the Tri at Marshalls, could always put in a posh carpet and borrow some decent seats from somewhere, there you go, problem solved! They don't use it much anyway, so it will look like an economy measure. Its all about priorities don'cher know. 
Last edited by Biggles225; 4th Nov 2008 at 07:29. Reason: Cant spell 'Economy' I always go Club
According to the Telegraph Prince Charles's trip and his entourage of 15 to the Far east is costing £500,000. £500,000 would make a useful downpayment for a dedicated Airbus 319 for VIP flights. If we add the £280,186 cost to taxpayers for his official trip to America in November 2005, the £304,000 cost of of hiring a private jet for his 2006 tour of Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia AND also add the cost of his 2007 week-end trip to New York to pick up an award for his work on the environment, when he booked the entire first-class and business class section of a B-747 for his 20-strong entourage.
If he had paid full fare for the 14 first class seats and 48 business class seats the return flight would have cost £281,530, but one assumes he negotiated a discount of some sort and paid less.
Personally I feel embarrassed when nearly every other major country appears to be able to run an aircraft for VIP use, except the UK. A further example is when our foreign secretary David Miliband visited the DR Congo last week with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner - I assume Kouchner tavelled in the French French Government Falcon 900 or Airbus A319-115X and our foreign minister tagged along for the ride, which makes economic sense, but leaves the UK look like the poor man of Europe.
I'm very much in favour of a dedicated aircraft for VIP flights and just paying the charter companies hundreds of thousands of pounds for these trips doesn't seem to offer good value for money.
PS. Back to Charlie's trip to the Far East. I see that one of the reasons for his visit to Indonesia is for him to promote his Rainforest Project. Given that he has the ability to talk to the trees (in a 1986 interview he discussed his gardening habits, commenting "I just come and talk to the plants, really. Very important to talk to them; they respond"), so if he still talks to the trees and does so during his visit to his pet project in Indonesia, does he talk to them in Malay or English? - and do they respond in the appropriate language?
If he had paid full fare for the 14 first class seats and 48 business class seats the return flight would have cost £281,530, but one assumes he negotiated a discount of some sort and paid less.
Personally I feel embarrassed when nearly every other major country appears to be able to run an aircraft for VIP use, except the UK. A further example is when our foreign secretary David Miliband visited the DR Congo last week with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner - I assume Kouchner tavelled in the French French Government Falcon 900 or Airbus A319-115X and our foreign minister tagged along for the ride, which makes economic sense, but leaves the UK look like the poor man of Europe.
I'm very much in favour of a dedicated aircraft for VIP flights and just paying the charter companies hundreds of thousands of pounds for these trips doesn't seem to offer good value for money.
PS. Back to Charlie's trip to the Far East. I see that one of the reasons for his visit to Indonesia is for him to promote his Rainforest Project. Given that he has the ability to talk to the trees (in a 1986 interview he discussed his gardening habits, commenting "I just come and talk to the plants, really. Very important to talk to them; they respond"), so if he still talks to the trees and does so during his visit to his pet project in Indonesia, does he talk to them in Malay or English? - and do they respond in the appropriate language?
..... does he talk to them in Malay or English? - and do they respond in the appropriate language?
Hmm - I wonder what "B*gg*r off, Big Ears" is in Bahasa Indonesia .....
Jack
Hmm - I wonder what "B*gg*r off, Big Ears" is in Bahasa Indonesia .....
Jack
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: bored
Posts: 532
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm very much in favour of a dedicated aircraft for VIP flights and just paying the charter companies hundreds of thousands of pounds for these trips doesn't seem to offer good value for money.
