RRR622 Voyager ZZ336 (new paint scheme)

[plmc135]

A Conservative PM travelling around in an all red aircraft Would it have a picture of Jeremy Corbyn on the tail rather than the Union Jack

[AyrForce1]

£900K?
Hope when they're finished they don't crash it into the hangar door

[James Cutting]

Or have his security convoy crash into him again

[big john]

Apparently the cost will be £900,000 for the paint job, from Evening Standard..

So Marshalls are making an £800.000 profit are they? I think a treasury/Police investigation of the person who made that contract is called for.

[AyrForce1]

Let's hope wee Jimmy Krankie doesn't get her way or they'll be needing another paint job to remove the blue

[Dan214sqn]

What a joke, with the country struggling as much as it is, they're going to waste our tax money on painting one jet because he doesn't like grey

As I pick up from years of reading this forum and social media , aviation photographers moan like **** about everything being grey ....and now people are moaning one is getting a paint scheme


What's not to like about the idea????

8 weeks ago the man was a darn hero for steering the nation through covid aswell as contracting the virus himself. Fast forward and everyone is out to get him .

Blows my mind

[Pune]

What a joke, with the country struggling as much as it is, they're going to waste our tax money on painting one jet because he doesn't like grey

As I pick up from years of reading this forum and social media , aviation photographers moan like **** about everything being grey ....and now people are moaning one is getting a paint scheme


What's not to like about the idea????

8 weeks ago the man was a darn hero for steering the nation through covid aswell as contracting the virus himself. Fast forward and everyone is out to get him .

Blows my mind

James, bang on sir, Johnson a hero, I don't think so..

[Dan214sqn]

Tongue in cheek figure of speach. Regardless of anyone else's opinion I think it's great news.

You haven't even seen the scheme yet! Let's hope you don't like it. That would be a dilemma otherwise

[slogen51]

I am looking forward to it and no doubt the Current photo section will be inundated.

The French jets look great and I hope we also do a good job

I don't mind grey jets but I don't like grey jets without any squadron marks.

[_alphabravo]

Any other country has a jet painted for the government so why can't we?

Its good to make a statement when arriving for talks. I wonder if the opinions of people would be different if it wasn't for Johnson...

[Alf]

What a joke, with the country struggling as much as it is, they're going to waste our tax money on painting one jet because he doesn't like grey

As I pick up from years of reading this forum and social media , aviation photographers moan like **** about everything being grey ....and now people are moaning one is getting a paint scheme


What's not to like about the idea????

8 weeks ago the man was a darn hero for steering the nation through covid aswell as contracting the virus himself. Fast forward and everyone is out to get him .

Blows my mind

James, bang on sir, Johnson a hero, I don't think so..

Yep, Bozo the clown is no hero… highest death rate in Europe is nothing to be proud of… everyone else locked down early, but we just sang happy birthday for a few weeks until it was too late…

[Canberra TT.18]

Well don't want to be impolite but it still is a tanker/transporter in different colours, Boris travelling in a cargo aircraft., not a dedicated VIP aircraft as most other (large) countries have in (some great) colour schemes. although I think our Dutch B737BBJ looks awfully in some sort of mixed of all possible colours (designer used something from the Bulldog!?) and it is civil anyway.
I have to admit you use your A330s more flexible as a VIP/tanker/transporter/medevac. Our new fleet is not used for VIP but then again they are flexable used with 5 other countries

[Unknown74]

Wee Jimmy Krankie travels with Loganair - Nic McForce One.

[Dan214sqn]

It's not just for Johnson is it .... They won't paint it back grey again once a new prime minister takes over.

It sounds like he hasn't got many voters here!

[Doughnut]

I do not understand why the UK government has to pay for this repaint ?
Surely part of the deal with Air Tanker was to supply, operate and maintain a fleet of aircraft use RAF use.
The A330 fleet was always intended for tanker and transport use, hence the non-tanker A330's leased to airlines like Jet 2 and Thomas Cook and recalled to RAF duty as required.

[sqdmta]

The original news article I saw stated £100k for the repaint, no idea how it's suddenly increased to £900k, however it's small change compared to the £10million spent to give it a VIP fit when Cameron was PM. Boris was in the Foreign Office back then and I found an article where he stated that the PM's aircraft was rarely available and that the Foreign Office should have their own, he also stated that he thought the paint scheme was a very drab grey. It's sneaky tactics as when the VIP conversion was done they said it would save almost a million quid a year on the cost of chartering, and that the aircraft could still be used for its AAR purpose, I doubt it will ever be used for AAR again. It seems this desire for a non grey VIP aircraft has been on the Boris bucket list for longer than people realise. As for the contracts and companies involved, it's probably all backhanders and BS.

[tornado17]

I'm looking forward to it, a bit of colour instead of all grey. I just hope there is a big bold Union Flag on the tail which shouts out that the Brits are here when it goes abroad!!

[James Cutting]

Tongue in cheek figure of speach. Regardless of anyone else's opinion I think it's great news.

You haven't even seen the scheme yet! Let's hope you don't like it. That would be a dilemma otherwise

You're missing the point. Yes, we do moan. However, when the country is about to hit a huge recession is it a wise idea to spend £900k on a jet repaint? This stems further than an aviation enthusiast's "want" for non-grey aircraft, but more about the spending of pointless money (at this moment in time). They were literally going to scrap free school meals for struggling school children, yet not think twice about painting a jet because he doesn't like it.

[ColintheCaterpillar]

I do not understand why the UK government has to pay for this repaint ?
Surely part of the deal with Air Tanker was to supply, operate and maintain a fleet of aircraft use RAF use.

I assume the PFI states the paint scheme that the aircraft needs to be painted in has to be a standard design (such as the current grey or any future scheme decided). As a one off I suspect there is a contractual cost/penalty somewhere.

[Snoop 95]

Have to say I have always been an advocate of a prestige aircraft for use by the Royal Family and UK deligates to overseas gatherings. Having seen that pretty well every other countries' representtatives turn-up in a recognisably national aircraft, I have always felt second-best when ours arrive in a chartered, anonymous one. Mr Blair wanted to have a suitably-painted aircraft by was subject to howls of derision by the then opposition and Tory press, who dubbed it 'Blairforce One'. So whilst keen on the idea I do agree that now could not be a worse time to actually start painting. As has been said, there are a multitude of urgent requirements for funding which are way higher-up the priority table under the present Covid emergency.
Bad timing Boris and it endorses the 'one rule for you and another for me' conclusion.