Royal Watch News
Queen Elizabeth's royal planes
Jun 21, 2006, 15:45 GMT
Britain's Queen Elizabeth will have two dedicated aircrafts for official visits.
The two aircrafts - shared by the queen and British Prime Minister Tony Blair - will not be ready before the end of 2007 and will cost £12.3million a year.
A source said: 'We are going to lease two aircraft, one large, one small and the leasing will cost about £1.5 million more than the current cost is, but over time there will be savings.' One aircraft is likely to be a Boeing 737, capable of seating between 85 and 215 passengers; the second will be a smaller executive jet - to replace the ageing RAF squadron presently used. 'This is jointly for the queen and the Prime Minister and other ministers and as always the queen has first choice.' The present cost of air travel is £9.5 million and the extra £1.5 million will be paid by the Royal Family. The aircraft will have anti-missile defence, communications and a bedroom. Royal Air Force used to provide the queen's official planes, but their aircrafts were ageing and not always available. Buckingham Palace will be charged the cost of chartering the plane and also for fuel and staffing costs. While Tony Blair will use the aircraft more than 60 times a year, the queen only requires the fleet about eight times annually.Copyright 2006 BANG Media International
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