Inkwazi

Type of aircraft

Inkwazi

Boeing 737-BBJ "Inkwazi" at Zurich-Kloten Airport in Switzerland
Type	Boeing Business Jet
Manufacturer	Boeing
Registration	ZS-RSA
Radio code	LMG1
Owners and operators	South African Government
In service	2001 - Current
Status	Operational with 21 Squadron SAAF

Inkwazi is a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ / Boeing 737) aircraft that serves as the primary mode of air transportation for the President of South Africa. Operated by 21 Squadron South African Air Force, the aircraft has a seating capacity for six ministers and ten additional passengers.^[1] It cost R300m to acquire and another R108m to fit and decorate the interior which can accommodate up to 15 passengers.^[2]^[3] The jet's name means "fish eagle" in Zulu.^[4]

Replacement Tender

In November 2015, Armscor issued a tender for the replacement of the Boeing 737 aircraft.^[2] The estimated cost of the new aircraft was between R2-billion and R4-billion.^[5]^[3] Some of the specific set of criteria included a range of 13,800 km, seating for 30 passengers, a conference room for 8, and a private bedroom and bathroom suite.

The potential replacements include:^[6]^[2]

The Airbus A330
The Airbus A340
The Boeing 777
The Boeing 787

However, in October 2016, Armscor announced, "none of the bids achieved a full score satisfactorily in the overall evaluation, thus prompting the cancellation of the tender."^[7]^[8] The company stated it would review the tender process and continue searching for a suitable replacement.^[8]

Current arrangement

The current aircraft continues to be used for regional trips. However, when the ageing aircraft has been grounded for repairs, other private aircraft have been chartered.^[9]^[10] When an intercontinental aircraft with a range of 13,300 km is required, an aircraft has been leased from Fortune Air for almost R2m a month.^[11]^[12]^[13] The aircraft returned to service as of 2018^[update].^[14]

References

^ "SAAF Aircraft". South African Air Force. 9 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Nhlabathi, Hlengiwe; Gibson, Erika (8 November 2015). "R4 billion VIP jet for Zuma?". Citypress. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b News24, Lizeka Tandwa. "New presidential jet will make Nkandla seem like child's play - Maimane". News24. Retrieved 29 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ Laing, Aislinn (29 June 2012). "Jacob Zuma 'to buy presidential jet despite South Africa's poverty'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
^ "Presidency requests info about Zuma's 'new jet' | eNCA". www.enca.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ "This is what Zuma's R4 billion plane could look like". 9 November 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ Wakeford, Kevin (25 October 2016). "STRICT TENDER COMPLIANCE KEY TO ARMSCOR'S SUCCESS" (PDF). ARMSCOR. ARMSCOR. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Armscor cancels intercontinental jet tender for South African Air Force". www.polity.org.za. 25 October 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ "Abuse of power: African leaders and their flying machines". France 24. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ Ramaphosa, Cyril (4 March 2018). "Arrived to a very warm reception in Gaborone". Twitter.
^ Serrao, Angelique (6 March 2018). "Ramaphosa uses controversial businessman Zunaid Moti's private jet for official trip". News24. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ "Zuma's R500m backup Boeing is on its way". TimesLIVE. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ "Zuma ditches presidential plane for a rental that costs R2 million a month". Business Tech. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
^ Helfrich, Kim (21 November 2018). "Inkwazi flying again". defenceWeb. Retrieved 14 November 2022.