Almost 70 days after the new N7.65bn presidential jet, Falcon 7X, touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from the manufacturer’s factory in France, Dassault Aviation, France European authorities have banned the jet from flying in Europe and other parts of the world over safety issues.


The ban, an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, which was issued on Thursday by the European Aviation Safety Agency, the agency that regulates Dassault as well as the European aviation industry, took immediate effect, starting from May 27.


The EASA’s grounding of the worldwide fleet of Dassault’s Falcon 7X executive jets came hours after one of the aircraft encountered an in-flight anomaly that could have caused the pilots to lose control.


The EASA directive, which was published on Thursday, said that the jet “experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent. The crew succeeded in recovering a stable situation and performed an uneventful landing.”


An analysis of the plane’s Digital Flight Data Recorder and Fault History Database confirmed the event, EASA said, but the cause of the pitch trim runaway couldn’t be explained.


“This condition, if it occurs again, could lead to the loss of control of the aeroplane,” the EASA notice said.


However, the Cologne, Germany-based safety agency said in its Emergency Airworthiness Directive that the decision to halt all flight operations of Dassault’s flagship jet came at the request of the Paris-based company, according to a Dow Jones report on Friday.


The plane was en route between Europe and Malaysia, Asia, with no passengers on board, Dassault spokesman Stephane Fort told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone.


The pilots managed to regain control of the aircraft and landed it safely in Malaysia, he said. Fort couldn’t say who owns the aircraft or who was operating it.


Fort said the decision to ground the aircraft was a precautionary measure.


Dassault has sent a team of technicians to Malaysia to try to identify the cause of the problem, he said, adding, “Our priority is the safety of our passengers and our aircraft.


The Falcon 7X was introduced in 2007 and is designed to fly 5,950 nautical miles with at least eight passengers. There are 112 of the aircraft in service.


“This airworthiness directive is considered to be an interim measure pending the outcome of the investigation currently carried out by the manufacturer,” EASA said.


The Falcon 7X has a sticker price of about $50m, depending on cabin features.


President Goodluck Jonathan had in the third week of March 2011, taken delivery of a Falcon 7X plane, shortly after it landed on the shores of the country from France.


The aircraft, which was manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France, cost the government $51m (about N7.65bn.)


The Federal Executive Council had on August 12, 2010 approved $102m for the purchase of two Falcon 7X and $53.3m for one Gulfstream G550 aircraft to beef up the presidential fleet.


The second Falcon 7X, it was learnt then, was expected to arrive in the country during the second quarter of this year.


In what is probably its first mission, the jet was said to have conveyed the wife of the President, Patience, to Sokoto during the third of week of March.


The two Falcon 7X aircraft are to be supplied by Messrs Dassault Aviation of France, while the Gulfstream G550 will come from Messrs Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation of the United States.

Source: http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201105283213293

Oga GEJ and PDP nothing do una jor I say make una carry go. N7bn($51M) na chicken fee for Naija. Abeg no forget to order another jet. After all 22million Nigerians that voted for you cannot be wrong.

Please expect more of these spendings on frivolous items for the next 4years. FRESH AIR

will u short up and reason well orwhat could have brought your brain this low
what is there in a president using a state of the art aircraft, insurance will take care of things like this.
you didnt even think that, the manufacturers baning a product of such value is temporal or that there is a plan to buy them back. abeg leave the president alone and direct your anger at the appropriate arm

Looks as if ewe are on a journey for. 4years of waste. Naija tire me.

Goodluck, Nigeria!!!!

See people talking like they've got no brains,if the guy wants to travel out,i guess he'll crawl.

"The second Falcon 7X, it was learnt then, was expected to arrive in the country during the second quarter of this year".

I guess GEJ fans did not see this part or their comprehension level is like that of their oga.

What the fvck is wrong with Some people. In a country where poverty reigns supreme the president who had no shoe, in his younger days (cos of poverty) is now blowing money right left and center. I guess one of the aircraft was for his wife and the one yet to arrive is for him.

FRESH AIR Nigeria.

"The second Falcon 7X, it was learnt then, was expected to arrive in the country during the second quarter of this year".

I guess GEJ fans did not see this part or their comprehension level is like that of their oga.

What the fvck is wrong with Some people. In a country where poverty reigns supreme the president who had no shoe, in his younger days (cos of poverty) is now blowing money right left and center. I guess one of the aircraft was for his wife and the one yet to arrive is for him.

one aircraft fro $51M, and this guy ordered two. It's not as if there were no presidential jet before.

FRESH AIR Nigeria.

Topic is a bit sensational
It was simply banned for safety issues.

Of course if GEJ is a smart man he can always recover the money back cos warranty for such things lasts more than a yr. But the ques is what does he even need two 7billion planes for? As someone said it's not even as if there was no previous presidential jet. The way big sums are being mentioned in this country anyone would think the whole citizenship is living in absolute wealth. I'm so scared of what our fate will be after the oil is gone cos we are not doin anything to prepare for the lean yrs at all

will u short up and reason well orwhat could have brought your brain this low
what is there in a president using a state of the art aircraft, insurance will take care of things like this.
you didnt even think that, the manufacturers baning a product of such value is temporal or that there is a plan to buy them back. abeg leave the president alone and direct your anger at the appropriate arm

@aguiyi,
if you are not high on something, u for know say u and that guy are saying the same thing. like that guy, i am also of the opinion that jonathan put that one in the dust bin and buy something better and more expensive. na fresh air we dey now.
useless country, useless rulers and useless followers. we are doomed. a country where the majority are struggling to feed, rulers are wasting money as if they no send us. we must get used to this system as it will last at least for the next 4 yrs.

nothing do u oga GEJ!!!!!!!!!!!

but seriously, there is nothing to fear. the jet must have been insured. so it can be returned for another one

I can see why the country is in the gutter, the brains of the people in government are in the landfill and most of the governed have theirs in the waste bin.

N7.56 billion has been grounded

Owo ti wogbo

I wonder what the repair bill is going to be?

French crooks - Nigeria must some how take revenge if they dont refund the money or fix the plane.

Maybe GEJ should send 20 'Yahoo Boys' to France to recoup the money directly from the French people.

Praises to the Most High for the prompt call frm EASA. That's how smtg else might have happened.

1025:

@aguiyi,
if you are not high on something, u for know say u and that guy are saying the same thing. like that guy, i am also of the opinion that jonathan put that one in the dust bin and buy something better and more expensive. na fresh air we dey now.
useless country, useless rulers and useless followers. we are doomed. a country where the majority are struggling to feed, rulers are wasting money as if they no send us. we must get used to this system as it will last at least for the next 4 yrs.

i wonder what level of mediocrity you are suffering from.
making a request for something does not make you liable to blame when it flops,the guys who approved the jet should bear the blame and not the president because the presido is just oneman while the national assembly has many meny men

The Jets in the fleets of the presidency is no longer safe for Jonathan abi? When will Nigeria wake up from their devilish and foolish spending? A lot of people are finding it difficult to feed on 3 square meal a day and yet, Jonathan is ordering for Presidential jets just like wrapper? Nigeria, you truly deserves the leaders you got.

luluosas:

The Jets in the fleets of the presidency is no longer safe for Jonathan abi? When will Nigeria wake up from their devilish and foolish spending? A lot of people are finding it difficult to feed on 3 square meal a day and yet, Jonathan is ordering for Presidential jets just like wrapper? Nigeria, you truly deserves the leaders you got.

Why do people say the bolded? Tell me who deserves the kind of leadership we have in Nigeria

Owo ti w'ogbo. Money don enter bush.

luluosas:

The Jets in the fleets of the presidency is no longer safe for Jonathan abi? When will Nigeria wake up from their devilish and foolish spending? A lot of people are finding it difficult to feed on 3 square meal a day and yet, Jonathan is ordering for Presidential jets just like wrapper? Nigeria, you truly deserves the leaders you got. 

am not surprised some people dont make any impact in the national and state assemly.
majority of those who can not eat three square meal a day are those who bear more than 4 children. they thereby increase their source of expense thinking its an asset or a competition. just look around you and see things for yourself and dont fall for it if you have not

The jets are grounded for safety reasons and pple are still complaining. We have debated this presidential jets on NL so its really not a new news. The jets were approved long before by National assembly the first only arrived in March and the second expected by second quarter. One thing you would not like to hear is anyone's  death due to plane crash so the change out of the presidential fleet was initiated by OBJ as the previous ones have outlived their useful life.

If that amount of money was spent like it should be directly on Power supply, can someone confirm this would have changed Naija's power situation?? How do we as a black race reason? What is wrong with these thugs

I dey weep for Nigeria, Great Nation.

The first question any sane person should be who approve the jets. It was done by our legislature and why should gej bear the burden alone as if he personally bargain, buy and fly it back to Nigeria

What a JOKE and waste of money

I once had no Jet, If I can make it you too can

The prime minister of britain enters British Airways, we just let 2 waste money , later we ll b asking 4 foreign aid, wot hapund 2 d jet Obasanjo also bought or evry president in 9ja must buy jet

We deserve our "leaders" because we appear to be unwilling to stand up and demand good governance from them.

people like ObJ and IBB who have looted us to our last kobo, are allowed to move freely and engage in politics , what have we done to demand their imprisonment?

Elections are rigged almost as matter of routine, yet we willing accept results of rigged elections when our democratic mandate has been stolen.

This is why the addage a people deserve the leaders they get is very true in Nigeria's case

Fellow Nigerians please wake from your stupor!

This doesn't sound good.