Presidential jet
The Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, has informed Parliament that the country’s presidential Falcon 900EX EASy aircraft will soon return to the country following the completion of extensive maintenance and repair works in France.
Answering questions in the House yesterday, Mr. Genfi explained that the aircraft was ferried to Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) in Le Bourget, France, on March 11, 2025, for its scheduled 24-month/1600 flight-hour periodic inspection, a mandatory requirement to ensure its continued airworthiness.
He said the inspection covered all major maintenance tasks, functional checks, and the resolution of previously detected corrosion issues within the aircraft’s fuel tanks, which had earlier delayed its return.
“Mr. Speaker, the reported corrosion spots detected within the aircraft’s fuel tanks have undergone extensive repairs and have since been resolved,” the Deputy Minister stated.
However, during the course of the inspection, new complications emerged. “Fuel leakages were observed from the right-hand wing tank, and though that section was repaired, another challenge occurred while reinstalling the lower panel beneath the wing,” he revealed.
This unexpected development, he said, caused further delays, prompting Dassault Aviation to invite the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the Falcon wing to conduct an on-site assessment and provide technical recommendations to expedite repairs.
According to Mr. Genfi, the OEM’s repair work has now been completed successfully, and the right-hand wing has been fully restored.
He outlined the remaining procedures before the aircraft’s return, including a fuel tank leak test, a third engine ground run, painting of the repaired panel, and a final acceptance flight to confirm operational safety.
“The Falcon 900EX aircraft will return to Ghana after all the necessary tests have been completed,” he assured.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House