The president’s main criticism of the current model is its flight capacity, which does not allow for very long trips
Planalto concluded that this was not the ideal time to purchase a new aircraft for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT)’s international travels. There is talk of cost control and the equipment would be seen as a waste of money.
Lula and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva actually want a new plane. The president says one of his priorities is to reintegrate Brazil into the international scene. The problem is that current aircraft cannot make long flights. For example, two stops were necessary for the G20 meeting in New Delhi, India.
In May of this year, the president swapped the previous presidential aircraft, an Airbus A319 CJ, for an Airbus A330200 that thenPresident Jair Bolsonaro (PL) purchased in 2022 for $80 million (about R$400 million at the current exchange rate). ) of the airline Azul.
In the new equipment, the room with a double bed is larger. A larger room is also available for meetings during the trip.
Lula has already spent 49 days outside Brazil
Lula has already made 13 trips and spent 49 days outside Brazil since taking office in Planalto. The survey by Power360 Every time President Lula spends more than 12 hours outside the country, a day is taken into account, regardless of whether it is the day of embarkation or disembarkation.
The president has at least four more international trips planned by the end of the year: Cuba, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Germany. On September 15, Lula travels to Havana and then to New York, where he will take part in the G77 meeting and the UN General Assembly respectively.