President’s SAA flight to DRC was best quote at about R1.6m, as Inkwazi could not fly
Inkwazi, the presidential jet, would have cost about R800,000 for the eight flying hours to DRC and back
SAA was one of several bidders from which the air force sourced quotes for President Cyril Ramaphosa's flights to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) summit in Kinshasa last week, the defence department says.
The Sunday Times reported that the president flew on an SAA A340 passenger jet because none of the air force VIP fleet was serviceable. Inkwazi, the presidential Boeing business jet, would have cost about R800,000 for the eight flying hours to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and back, said the report.
In response, the department of defence confirmed Inkwazi and other executive aircraft “are currently out of commission”.
As limited regular commercial flights were available from Kinshasa, the SA Air Force — which is responsible for official flights undertaken by a president — sourced quotes from potential service providers. The cost was far less than reported, the department said.
“The national carrier, SAA, was one of several bidders from whom the air force sourced quotes. SAA filed the lowest quote at under R1.6m.
“Two quotes for significantly smaller aircraft came close to R1.9m each.”
The flight to Kinshasa carried 14 passengers and the return flight 55, excluding SA Air Force crew members, said the department.
TimesLIVE