Sale of Government Falcon Aircraft: Karadjov Announces Tender

Deputy Prime Minister Grozdan Karadjov has taken a drastic measure that is sparking a wide discussion: the sale of the government plane "Falcon" through a public auction. The decision, which aims to optimize state spending, was announced through Karadjov's Facebook profile.

"I am instructing the management of the State Aviation Operator to sell the government plane "Falcon" at an auction with open bidding. This way we can achieve the maximum possible price," Karadjov said. This decision comes after a detailed analysis of the financial expenses for the maintenance and operation of the aircraft over the last decade.

According to the data presented, the maintenance of "Falcon" has cost the state budget significant sums. The figures indicate that the average annual expenses have reached about 4.4 million leva, with an average annual operation of only 290 hours. This statistic inevitably raises questions about the efficiency of the use of the aircraft. In addition, only the mandatory major overhaul of the aircraft this year is estimated at 6.76 million leva. Even without taking this colossal sum into account, the current repairs have cost an average of half a million leva annually. The comparison with the other government plane, Airbus A319, reveals even more obvious differences. The repair costs of Airbus A319 have been five times lower. In addition, the annual specialized training of pilots and technical personnel for "Falcon" has also been five times more expensive compared to the training for Airbus A319.

Karadjov emphasizes that there is no direct need to maintain "Falcon". The other government plane - Airbus A319 - is larger, more economical and fully adequate for the needs of state institutions. The decision to sell "Falcon" reflects a striving for more rational management of state resources.

The Deputy Prime Minister explained that the funds received from the sale of the aircraft, as well as those saved from its maintenance, will be redirected to areas that are of key importance to society. Karadjov emphasized the priority of purchasing air equipment for extinguishing forest fires, as well as building capacity for air search and rescue (SAR). In addition, additional training of flight and rescue crews is planned.

"The lives and health of citizens must come first, and the protection of nature immediately after them. The more opportunities we have for quick reaction, the more effective we can be in critical moments," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.