Ghana’s presidential jet has finally returned to the country after eight months of repairs in France, the Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has disclosed.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Simons announced that “Ghana’s presidential jet has been delivered safely back into the custody of the Ghana Air Force since Monday, the 10th of November. Exactly 8 months after it was sent to the Dassault Falcon Service MRO base at Paris Le Bourget (PLB).”
He explained that the aircraft underwent a compulsory maintenance process while in France.
“Whilst at PLB, it underwent a MANDATORY 24-month and 1600-hour technical inspection,” he wrote.
During this inspection, technicians uncovered serious issues that required extensive work.
“During this extensive inspection, severe defects, affecting the fuel tank and a turbofan were discovered, triggering prolonged repairs that could only be done with manufacturer assistance at that specific Dassault facility,” Mr. Simons revealed.
He added that all required technical procedures had now been concluded.
“All the complex repairs, final tests (including leak tests, engine ground runs, and acceptance flights), have been successfully completed. The long delay in completing the repairs was due to some apparent difficulty sourcing certain OEM-certified spare parts. The aircraft has, however, been given the all clear by DFS now.”
Mr. Simons further noted that an additional flight was conducted as part of the final logistics.
“Before delivery to Accra, a positioning flight from Marseille, relating to minor logistics, was conducted.”
The safe return of the jet brings an end to months of public speculation surrounding the status of Ghana’s presidential aircraft.
