A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, has raised serious concerns over the current state of Ghana’s presidential aircraft, describing the continued reliance on a faulty jet as a major national security threat.
Speaking in an interview on TV3, the analyst emphasised that the compromised condition of the presidential jet not only undermines the safety of the President but also projects a troubling image of vulnerability to the international community.
“This is a national security issue. Let’s have a national conversation about this issue because I won’t advise the President to use this jet due to the level of damage,” he said.
According to him, the current state of the presidential jet makes it a security threat for anyone who uses it.
“Six years ago, I described it as a flying coffin. Let’s put politics aside, let’s treat this as a national emergency,” he stated.
Ghana’s presidential jet, a Dassault Falcon 900 EX, has been subject to frequent breakdowns in recent years, often resulting in last-minute changes to presidential travel plans.
In several instances, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had to charter private aircraft for official trips abroad — a move that has drawn public scrutiny and stirred debate around cost, transparency, and necessity.
While government officials have occasionally cited maintenance schedules and safety protocols as reasons for chartering alternate aircraft, critics argue that continued reliance on such arrangements is unsustainable and financially burdensome.
The security analyst further warned that delays in resolving the issue could expose the presidency to operational risks.
His reactions come after Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, answering a parliamentary question from NPP MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah, explained that the Falcon 900 had been grounded in France since March 11, 2025.
The presidential jet, according to Dr. Boamah, is undergoing extensive maintenance due to serious corrosion in several of its key systems, making it unfit for flight.
He said “Let’s not reduce this important conversation to NDC versus NPP. This is a matter of national security, sovereignty, and responsible maintenance of state assets.”
In 2021, the government hinted at plans to acquire a new presidential aircraft, citing the ageing Falcon’s limited capacity and increasing maintenance demands.
However, discussions around procurement have stalled amid economic challenges and public resistance to large government expenditures.
Civil society organisations and opposition leaders have called for greater transparency and accountability in matters relating to the presidential fleet, insisting that national priorities should not be compromised by high-cost purchases lacking proper justification.
As the debate continues, the security expert urged a nonpartisan, forward-looking approach to the issue.
