The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract to buy a new long-range government jet, with an expected delivery date of December 2025, reports RTE.
The company is buying a French-made Falcon 6X for about €53 million (including VAT).
The aircraft has a range of more than 5,000 nautical miles, meaning it can reach the west coast of the United States without refueling.
The government’s previous aircraft, the Learjet, had problems, reports RTE.
Several breakdowns late last year left then-Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar stranded in Paris in November 2023 and then-Higher Education Minister Simon Harris had to abandon last-minute plans to use the aircraft to attend a conference in Brussels in December 2023.
The 30-year-old Learjet was only used for medical evacuations in 2024.
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A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the Falcon 6X was “designed to replace the Learjet” and would perform all the functions the jet previously performed, reports RTE.
A statement from the Irish Ministry of Defence confirmed that a contract had been awarded for the new multi-role aircraft, which will be used for “overseas missions around the world”.
It is expected to be launched during Ireland’s EU Presidency in the second half of 2026, reports RTE.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the new government aircraft as a “game changer for the state’s transport, airlift and medical capabilities”.
“It will be used for a wide range of tasks, including the non-combatant evacuation of Irish citizens from critical situations, air-ambulance patient transfers, medical evacuation or repatriation of Irish Defence Forces personnel deployed on overseas missions and logistics support for the transport of supplies to Irish Defence Forces overseas missions,” Mr Martin said, reports RTE.
“In addition, it will provide the independent and flexible air transport service which is an increasingly essential requirement to assist the government in meeting our national and international obligations,” Mr Martin said, reports RTE.
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