The Air Force’s budget for charter flights and maintenance has now been depleted, meaning Ramaphosa and other senior government officials will have to rely on commercial flights for the foreseeable future.

Due to the ‘limitations’ of the existing VIP fleet, a strategic acquisition master plan is now being implemented to expand it with new aircraft, the military said last week.

An airworthiness directive from the original manufacturers of the Boeing Business Jet engines, issued in 2022, was apparently never executed. 

City Press reports that military sources said this directive was like recalls issued by car manufacturers to resolve specific defects in certain models.

The directive reportedly required the replacement of critical components in the gearboxes of the two engines on this particular aircraft model for safety reasons.

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City Press notes that the Air Force stated these deficiencies are now part of legal proceedings with SA Airways Technical, which was previously responsible for maintenance.

In November, an inspection group from the Civil Aviation Authority prevented Inkwazi from further flights at the Waterkloof Air Force Base following the G20 summit in Brazil.

This was due to certain technical documentation concerning the jet not being submitted when it was purchased in 2002.

When the VIP squadron’s aircraft are unserviceable, it falls upon the Air Force to secure a charter aircraft for primary principals like the President.

However, the budget – despite it only being the fourth month of the current financial year – is practically exhausted.

Full City Press report