The Nigerian government has sent its ageing Boeing 737-700 Business Jet to Switzerland for sale after replacing it with a new Airbus A330 for presidential use.
The 20-year-old Boeing 737-700 BBJ, which has served as Nigeria’s main presidential aircraft since 2005, is now at AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland, where it is being inspected and prepared for sale. This company also helped Nigeria acquire the new Airbus jet.
The Boeing jet has flown about 3,821 hours and landed 1,881 times. It features a luxurious five-zone cabin with space for 33 passengers and eight crew members. Inside, it has a private bedroom with an ensuite shower, a VIP office, conference and dining areas, plus first-class and business-class sections. It also comes with advanced avionics and Ka-band internet connectivity.
This sale is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plan to cut down on high maintenance costs and simplify the presidential fleet, which currently includes six planes and four helicopters. Along with the Boeing 737-700, two other older jets, a Gulfstream and a Falcon 7x, are also being put up for sale because they are costly to maintain and partly unserviceable.
The move follows advice from the Nigerian House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence, which recommended updating the presidential fleet with newer aircraft. The new Airbus ACJ330-200, registered as 5N-FGA, is now the main presidential plane.
This step is expected to reduce government spending on aircraft upkeep and improve the efficiency of presidential air travel.
