Tinubu travels to France aboard new plane

By Kunle Sanni

President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja on Monday aboard a newly acquired Airbus A330, bound for Paris. This new aircraft replaces the 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 (BBJ), originally purchased during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Airbus A330, acquired at a significantly lower market price, is expected to save Nigeria millions of dollars annually in maintenance and fuel costs.

The decision to replace the aging B737-700 (BBJ) was driven by an investigative hearing in Nigeria’s parliament, which raised concerns about the plane’s safety record and cost efficiency. The aircraft’s reliability was questioned after it experienced a malfunction during a trip to Saudi Arabia.

Following the investigation, the Nigerian Senate’s Committee on National Security and Intelligence recommended replacing the older aircraft in the presidential fleet to reduce operational downtime and expenses.