Poland is continuing its modernization process for its fleet of VIP aircraft, with two new planes set to become available to top Polish officials.
The Boeing aircraft are the fulfillment of a contract signed in March 2017 for the purchase of three such planes. The first Boeing 737-800 was delivered in November 2017, the next in late May and the third in mid-June 2021. The total price of all the planes exceeded €548 million.
The two latest planes will become fully operational in July once their crews have been additionally trained on the military systems included on the aircraft, reports Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
The planes will serve as mobile centers of operation from which one can direct the Polish state. They will also be equipped with active and passive defense systems in the case of a missile attack and feature devices designed for encrypted communication.
The planes will also be designed to maximize the comfort of all passengers. There will be a separate lounge with a bathroom for the most important passenger, 12 business class seats and over 40 seats in the economy class. The aircraft will also be equipped with an intensive care medical station with a defibrillator and ventilator.
The latest deliveries will also mean that the air transport security program for Polish government VIPs will be nearly completed. In 2017, the Polish Ministry of Defense had also received two Gulfstream G550 planes. This brings the total number of aircraft in the Polish government VIP fleet to five, including the three Boeings.
All the planes will be stationed at the 1st Transport Air Base, which took over carrying government VIPs following the dissolution of the 36th Special Regiment after the Smolensk Catastrophe. Prior to this, the 1st Transport Air Base flew only military helicopters for several years, which makes hosting the new aircraft a potential challenge for the air base.
Title image: The Boeing 737-800, called Marshal Józef Piłsudski, is one of the planes featured in a fleet of new planes for Polish VIPs, source: Chopin Airport.
