The relatively new plane was sold to a private clothing company JoyVida International based in Interlaken that submitted the highest bid, according to army procurement agency armasuisse on Monday. The amount paid for the jet was not revealed, but it sold for more than it cost to buy.
The government’s VIP fleet includes three aircraft: a Cessna Citation Excel 560XL, a Dassault Falcon 900EX and the Pilatus PC-24. The Citation Excel 560XL and the PC-24 are only partially suitable for long-duration flights which prompted a fleet review in February. The decision to sell the PC-24 (acquired in 2019) was made as it was rarely used.
Before delivery, the PC-24 jet will be brought up to civilian standard and the military registration (T-786) will be deleted from the Swiss Air Force’s register.
The defence ministry is currently examining the options for expanding the Federal Council’s fleet of jets.
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First ‘homemade’ Swiss business jet approved for take off
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Pilatus revealed on Friday that the PC-24 jet had obtained type certificates from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This clears the ground for the planes to be delivered to customers abroad. “The PC-24 is fully produced and assembled in Stans, Switzerland. Of course, we also buy components…
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