Romanian President Klaus Iohannis made an official visit to Japan this week, but the Romanian media paid more attention to the plane the head of state was traveling on than to his talks in the Far East.
Iohannis flew to the meetings in the Land of the Rising Sun on a chartered plane for which 350,000 euros were paid for rent, Antena 1 TV reported. The VIP plane was hired by a private company in Luxembourg, which also manages the planes owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. indicates the television.
It is one of the largest and newest Boeing 737 models.
“A real flying hotel,” Antena 1 notes and presents its amenities: the plane’s cabin can comfortably accommodate 19 passengers; there is enough space for a movie theater; there is a VIP lounge and five-star dining space; leather armchairs and plush sofas on expensive carpets; extendable tables made of rare types of wood are scattered around the lounge, and luxurious bedrooms turn it into a flying hotel.
The plane chartered by the presidency arrived in Bucharest from Paris. Then I flew 30 minutes to the city of Sibiu, and the next stopover, after two hours and 48 minutes, was in Baku to refuel. The flight from Azerbaijan to Tokyo lasted nine hours. According to a charter flight booking website, the price of a 60-minute trip on the VIP plane is officially over 13,000 euros, but rates can be negotiated, Antena 1 reports.
In the Land of the Rising Sun, the Romanian President was accompanied by his wife, and the official delegation included several advisers to the Head of State and Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.
In Tokyo, Iohannis signed a strategic partnership agreement between Romania and Japan. The head of state said that this is “a historic step towards a new stage, which raises the relations between the two countries to the highest level”.
However, the VIP plane became the leading news. Comments and analysis have flowed about whether Romania needs a presidential plane, how much the head of state’s trips cost, why the planes that Iohannis travels with make unnecessary landings in Sibiu.
Romania has not had an official plane for heads of state for 10 years. All politicians agree that there is a need for such an aircraft, but for a decade the presidential administration has been signing aircraft rental contracts for trips abroad, the media in our northern neighbor summarize.
In 2022 alone, the Romanian president’s trips cost 3.32 million euros, according to the information site Spotmedia. Since there were 21 visits abroad, each trip cost about 160,000 euros in practice.
Romania lags behind its EU neighbors: Bulgaria has two VIP planes, Hungary has four, and Poland has five, Antena 1 TV notes.
Until 2010, the head of state of Romania (Traian Basescu – at that time – note ed.) used as a presidential plane a Boeing 707 – Karpacz, manufactured in 1974. It was the Romanian “Air Force One” (Air Force One), equipped with an official study, a bedroom and a room with special technology to encrypt communications.
From 2010 to 2013, the presidency used an Airbus leased from the national airline Tarom for external flights. The contract was then terminated and aircraft leased from foreign companies were used.
According to BoardingPass, a specialized aviation information site, the Boeing 737-900ER that Iohannis flew to Japan is a BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) configuration and is owned by Luxembourg-based Global Jet (Global Jet).
In Romania, Iohannis was criticized by some and defended by others for choosing to travel to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Transport Minister Sorin Grindianu pointed out that the Romanian state should have an official plane to serve the presidential administration and the government, like other countries.
Finance Minister Adrian Kuchou sounded a cautious note, saying that it remains to be seen what the possible solutions are and what the costs will be in the short and long term.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Călăcu, who is expected to take over as Prime Minister soon under the governing coalition agreement, has categorically stated that an official plane must be purchased to be used on foreign visits, Romanian media reported.
“I think that a country the size of Romania, with Romania’s claims and with Romania’s position in the EU and NATO, deserves to have a presidential plane and this discussion should end once and for all,” said Marcel Colacu, specifying that “a presidential plane does not mean that only the president travels with it on visits abroad, but that the plane is put at the disposal of the Romanian state, where the costs are open’.
According to the Acting President of the Senate, Alina Gorgiu, it is unacceptable that in 2023, Romania will not have an official plane available to be used by the Romanian state.
In response to criticism of the choice made by the presidency in this particular case, Alina Gorgiu pointed out that no president goes on an official visit by regular airline.
“I think it’s a populist remark and it has no justification when we’re talking about such an important visit,” Gorgiu told Digi 24 TV, stressing that after five years of negotiations, Romania had concluded a strategic partnership agreement with the world’s third-largest economy after the US and China.
After the luxury of the VIP plane in which Iohannis visited Japan caused so much excitement, the Romanian media also investigated the flight route. It became clear that the plane made a stopover in the city of Sibiu, apparently to pick up first lady Carmen Iohannis from there. The Iohannis family is from Sibiu, and the current head of state was mayor of that city from 2000 to 2014.
The specialized site BoardingPass (BoardingPass) publishes information about all the official trips of the head of state in the last 14 months. In 19 out of a total of 26 flights, the plane Iohannis was traveling with made unauthorized official landings in Sibiu.
