Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Writes: Incorrigible President Akufo-Addo has done it again as he flies hired private jet
After pretending he was a changed man by flying commercial on his last two trips to the US and the UK, he has returned to his grossly insensitive and reckless ways of profligate traveling in ultra-luxurious charters.
Probably thinking he will escape our unimpeachable surveillance if he switched companies, President Akufo-Addo on this occasion decided to abandon his favourite LX-DIO operated by Global Jet Luxembourg and opted for German based private jet operator — K5-Aviation.
K5-Aviation has been licensed to operate their luxury fleet by the German National Aviation Authority (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt, LBA) since June 2011.
As usual, President Akufo-Addo ordered their top-of-the-range and most expensive aircraft in their collection — the Airbus ACJ319. It is registered D-Alex.
Its serial number is 5963, Type Code A319 and a Mode S of 3C70B8.
Being a more expensive luxury carrier, its oligarchic features include: Master bedroom with double bed and connecting bathroom with shower; 2 additional bedrooms; 3 washrooms; Master bathroom with walk-in shower; Air Humidification system; Airshow and 5 external cameras; Gogo 2Ku high speed Wi-Fi, up to 70 Mbit/sec for streaming and video calls (charged extra); Video on demand and DVD including a 55” screen; music streaming; PlayStation; external cameras with tailfin view; airshow and a satellite phone.
The 19-VVIP-passenger D-Alex is celebrated for its 5,600 nm = 10,400 km range; equipped with 5 auxiliary center tanks for intercontinental range and non-stop flights up to 12 hours; Maximum take-off weight 76,500 kg and an impressive Maximum altitude of 41,000 ft = 12,400m.
This luxury monster is costing the Ghanaian taxpayer €20,000 an hour.
For President Akufo-Addo’s current trip to Belgium and Rwanda beginning Sunday the 19th of June, 2022 to attend the 15th Edition of the European Development Days Forum in Brussels, Belgium, and the 26th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations in Kigali, Rwanda; we can confirm a conservative bill of €480,000.00.
The 480,000 Euros which is derived from 21 hours of total flight time plus other industry charges works out to some 4.1million Ghana Cedis at current exchange rate.
I must, however, commend First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo for honourably flying to Kigali aboard Ghana’s Presidential Jet which took her some 4hours and 49minutes. Her confidence in Ghana’s Presidential Jet is refreshing and deeply admirable. Ghanaians are exceedingly proud of her.
It must definitely take a rare kind of insulting insensitivity for President Akufo-Addo to be this wasteful and obstinate at a time Ghanaians are facing a cost of living crisis.
