VIP-самолеты What’s-up-the-the-fly
What happened to the VIP fleet?
Last December, the Armaments Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defense signed an agreement with LOT Polish Airlines to continue the charter of two Embraer ERJ 170-200 LR communications aircraft. Their use by the military was extended for another two years. For this reason, it is worth taking a look at the current state of reconstruction of the VIP Park in the aviation of the Polish Armed Forces.
A year ago, on December 29, 2017, the Weapons Inspectorate signed an agreement with LOT Polish Airlines for the charter of Embraers aircraft only until the end of 2018. The extension of their use for just such a period is dictated by the optimistic assumption that the first Boeing 737-800 (proper name “Marshal Jozef Pilsudski”) will be able to fly HEAD (with the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Seimas or Speaker of the Senate on board) in the summer of 2018 and thus be able to take over the transportation of the most important people in the country. However, these plans failed to materialize. The Armaments Inspectorate explains the need for an extension of the charter as follows:
Taking into account the process of introducing new VIP aircraft into the Polish Armed Forces in 2018, the Ministry of National Defense, together with air traffic controllers (Prime Minister's Office, KP RP, Seimas' Office, Senate's Office) analyzed the possibility of ensuring the transportation of the most important people in the country using Polish aviation armed forces. Taking into account the timing of the delivery of subsequent aircraft and the process of preparing the flight crew, and hence the safety of passenger transportation, as well as the level of demand for dispatchers in the field of special transport, it was decided to continue chartering aircraft from PLL LOT SA in 2019-2020.
As a result, on December 28, 2018, a contract was concluded for a total amount of PLN 157 net. According to its provisions, one Embraer ERJ-676-392,56 LR must be used for only one more year, from January 170, 200 to December 1, 2019, and the other from January 31, 2019 to December 1, 2019, also covered the necessary logistics package – maintenance, insurance and fixed costs for flight crews, as well as variable costs such as fuel, maintenance, airport, navigation and operating fees. Thus, despite the undoubted delay, we are witnessing the "beginning of the end" of preliminary decisions when it comes to the air transport of the country's most important persons.
Until Mr. 2010
Before the disaster in Smolensk and a year after it, the transportation of Polish dignitaries was carried out by the 36th Special Air Transport Regiment. As of April 2010, its fleet included two Tu-154M Lux aircraft manufactured in 1990 and put into service in 1990 and 1994 (the second after the transfer of the Polish Airlines LOT). These were vehicles capable of carrying a relatively large number of passengers (90-100 people) and intercontinental flights. They were supplemented by four aircraft - designed for flights within the country and the continent. These were four Yak-40 aircraft and three PZL M-28 Bryza aircraft (2002-2004) manufactured in the 28s. This fleet, with the exception of the PZL M-XNUMX Bryza, was considered outdated and costly to operate. She was also plagued by technical problems.
Attempts were made to acquire new aircraft, but they fell victim to political and lobbying games. In 2009, it was planned to purchase the Embraer 170/175 VIP version to replace the Yak-i-40, while the Tu-154M "Lux" was to undergo repairs and modernization procedures in the Russian Federation. The larger aircraft were intended to be used "for a few more years" until funds were available for further purchases. However, these limited ambitions were also abandoned, and the uneconomical and obsolete three-engine Yak-i-40s were also sent east for overhaul. This meant another postponement of the problem for the future.
Only the April catastrophe finally forced the decision to make serious changes. After this fateful event, the second Tu-154M "Lux" was no longer allowed for VIP transportation, and the Yak-i-40 served until the summer of 2011, i.e. until the disbandment of the 36th Special Transport Aviation Regiment. The existing aircraft were replaced by two Embraer ERJ 170-200 LRs leased from LOT Polish Airlines. An agreement on this matter was already signed at the beginning of June 2010. This special decision was supposed to be valid until the end of 2013, but it was extended until the end of 2017. In 2014-15. a small VIP aircraft capable of carrying eight passengers over a distance of up to 8 km. They were supposed to be much more modest successors to the Yak-40s (capable of carrying about 30 passengers). Then these plans developed into the purchase of two aircraft with a flight range of at least 5 km and a capacity of 12-14 passengers. These machines were supposed to enter service in the summer of 2016, and as many as nine companies expressed interest in participating in the procedure.
However, this was not implemented - after the 2015 elections, a completely new procurement procedure was launched, aimed at a comprehensive solution to the problem. The idea was to purchase the entire fleet of VIP aircraft as soon as possible.
- it is necessary to maintain the functioning of the state and ensure its proper prestige. Recall here that among the countries of the region, the Czech Republic uses two Airbus A319CJ (this is the market analogue of the Boeing BBJ), the existing Bombardier Challenger 600 and two Jak-i-40; Hungary operates two Airbus 319s, a third is on order, and two Dassault Falcon 7X aircraft are used for local operations; Slovakia operates two relatively new A319s and two older Fokker 100s (1991). In this situation, the use of two chartered ERJ 170-200 LRs by the Polish Armed Forces can be assessed as extremely modest for such a large and significant country, not only in the region.
