The Brazilian presidential fleet renewal project has progressed at the Planalto Palace, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will soon have to make a decision.
After the incident in Mexico, where the presidential jet Airbus ACJ319, nicknamed «AeroLula«, circled in the air for hours before landing safely, Lula is determined to replace the aircraft and has requested top priority from Defense Minister José Mucio, according to our associated media AEROIN, reporting from the Poder360 portal.
The Ministry of Defense, through the Brazilian Air Force, has even consulted Airbus about acquiring a new aircraft (possibly an ACJneo, derived from the commercial A319neo and A320neo jets). However, the European manufacturer responded that, at best, an order placed now would only be delivered in 2027, due to supply chain issues faced by all manufacturers and the large backlog of pending orders.
Another detail is that, since this is a VIP aircraft with exclusive client specifications, this process could take even longer. In any case, the aircraft would only be ready in the middle of the next term, which would be Lula’s fourth as president if he is re-elected.
The other available option would be to purchase a used aircraft, which was already evaluated last year but discarded due to high costs. There are some units of new VIP aircraft of a similar size, ready for immediate delivery and meeting the expectations of Lula and the Brazilian government, but they all originate from the Middle East, where heads of state have large fleets and renew them more frequently.
However, a used aircraft would naturally have higher operational costs and would lack certain features required by the Planalto Palace, including the ability for in-flight refueling. This capability is, in fact, quite «exotic» for presidential aircraft, with the United States currently being the only country with presidential jets equipped for it, specifically the two 747-200 (VC-25A) that serve as Air Force One.
Aside from these two Jumbos, no other presidential aircraft in the world has in-flight refueling probes, as VIP aircraft generally have a long range and require a complex logistical setup for aerial refueling, something currently only feasible across the five continents by the United States Air Force (USAF) itself.
