Tri-Service
Cam Force One: PM To Get RAF Voyager For World Trips
David Cameron and other senior ministers are to get a dedicated aircraft to take them on official visits around the world.
Government sources say an RAF Voyager is to be converted to a ministerial transport for use on long-haul trips, at a cost of up to £10 million.
And conveniently for the Prime Minister, it'll be based at RAF Brize Norton, home to Britain's nine-strong Voyager fleet.
The airbase is where the AirTanker project, which runs the UK's Voyagers, is situated. It's also in Mr Cameron's constituency of Witney, just half an hour away from his family home.
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It's argued that the use of the Voyager will save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in charter costs, removing the need to hire airliners from commercial carriers. It'll also be available for the Royal Family to use.
But the move is likely to prove highly controversial, as Chancellor George Osborne prepares to unveil further deep cuts in next week's spending review.
It'll also draw inevitable comparisons with Tony Blair's plans for a prime ministerial jet, dubbed "Blair Force One", which was ultimately blocked by Gordon Brown.
The plan will be formally set out in the Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review on Monday.
Government sources estimate that the change will save the taxpayer £775,000 a year in charter charges - meaning it'll take just under 13 years to pay off.
Currently Downing Street spends £6,700 per flying hour on the Prime Minister's travel, but that is expected to come down to £2,000 under the new arrangements.
In one trip alone, No 10 had to pay £100,000 to hire an aircraft at short notice to take Mr Cameron and members of the Royal Family to the funeral of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. A government spokesman said:
"As part of the Government's defence review, we have been looking at ways to make better use of the RAF fleet to transport senior ministers and consequently deliver savings for taxpayers.
"We have decided to adapt one of our existing Voyager aircraft so that, in addition to its primary air tanking role, it can transport ministers and it will also be available for the Royal Family to use."
"In terms of reducing the travelling costs we are looking at moving away from long-distance chartering," one source said.
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