The French plane-maker, Airbus, will bid to supply the new Government jet, the company said yesterday. Proposing the €41.7 million Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) to the Government, the company said it was likely to compete directly with Boeing for the contract.
The Department of Defence is expected to issue a tender early next week for the contract to replace the Government's existing jet, the 14-seater Gulfstream G-IV. It is also tendering to replace the four-seater Beechcraft aircraft, which has been used for short-haul flights.
Airbus, which is based in Toulouse, said it was interested in supplying only the Government jet. The company's regional press manager, Mr David Velupillai, said the cost of its 45-seater aircraft would be about the same as smaller aircraft sold by Gulfstream and Global Express.
The Government plans to replace the jet after it broke down on two occasions in recent months, causing embarrassment for the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern. But while the Government has drawn attention to the breakdowns, sources in the Department of Defence have said that the existing jet is not particularly old.
Still, the Government wants delivery of the new aircraft in time for its six-month presidency of the EU, which starts in January.
The fact that Airbus staged a briefing yesterday for journalists indicates that it plans to campaign vigorously for the contract. It declined to specify a cost per flying hour, but indicated that it was roughly the same as the cost of running the Gulfstream.
Mr Velupillai rejected suggestions that the use of private jets was excessive and said luxuries would not be included in the package. "The tendency is to think of the ACJ as a rich man's plaything, something for the fat cat. We can show how using the ACJ is cheaper than sending delegations on other flights."
Use of the aircraft would reduce the Government's expenditure on travel because all members of a delegation would be able to use it, eliminating the requirement to charter additional aircraft or purchase business-class tickets on commercial flights.
The jet would include a communications centre, with facilities for on-board press briefings, presentations and receptions. There would be a dedicated area for Ministers on the plane and a separate space for staff.
The company emphasised yesterday that had a financing operation at the Irish Financial Services Centre in Dublin, supplied aircraft to Aer Lingus and the air freight company Air Contractors. Shannon Aerospace and FLS Aerospace, which employ 1,800 people in Dublin and Shannon, also provide maintenance services on all Airbus planes.
However, Mr Velupillai said he was not aware of any job-creation project that might be offered to the Government in return for a guarantee to award the contract.
When approached yesterday, Boeing would say only that it would be happy to provide the Government with details of the Boeing Business Jet once the tender process was formally initiated.