New Federal Council aircraft lands in Switzerland.
Published: Friday, Dec 20th 2024, 18:50
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The new Federal Council aircraft has landed in Switzerland. The new state aircraft, a Bombardier Global 7500, is expected to enter service for the first time in spring 2025, the Federal Armaments Office announced on Friday.
When it landed in Payerne VD on Friday evening, the aircraft had been in flight for around seven hours, according to Armasuisse. It was handed over to Swiss representatives by the manufacturer Bombardier in Montreal, Canada, on Wednesday.
According to Armasuisse, ground and cockpit personnel must be trained before the new state aircraft can be used to transport state personnel. The aircraft will not be fully operational until the end of 2025, before which it will be equipped with a self-protection system.
Long-haul flights possible
The new jet will replace the 23-year-old Cessna Citation Excel 560XL in the air transport service's fleet from 2025. According to the press release, the new aircraft theoretically has space for up to twenty seats. Its range is over 14,000 kilometers, which is roughly equivalent to the distance from Switzerland to Australia.
The Bombardier Global 7500 is one of the world's largest business jets. According to earlier information, the procurement will cost over 100 million Swiss francs.
The air transport service's two jets are currently used for trips by the Federal Council, for transporting other magistrates, but also for evacuations, emergency aid in the event of environmental disasters and in humanitarian emergencies abroad.
©Keystone/SDA
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