The Department of Defence has instructed the Air Corps to take the €8m government Learjet out of service permanently.
There are reports of a technical problem with a battery sensor being the cause of the latest failure.
Department of Defence Secretary General Jacqui McCrum expressed frustration in an email, stating that confidence in the Learjet was lost after Minister Simon Harris was unable to fly due to the aircraft’s issues.
““As discussed, all confidence in the Lear is gone. I know that X was speaking to the Air Corps about the retirement of same and that a report is to be or is being prepared. I will await your comments, but in my view, it has to be taken out of service full time now. We cannot provide an appropriate transport service with it, and we cannot risk ministers missing critical meetings or being stranded.”
Discord has arisen over a report that was supposed to be prepared for Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin regarding the Learjet’s availability in the coming months.
The Air Corps claimed they did not remember being asked to prepare the report, while the Department of Defence stated there was no doubt a report had been requested.
In November the Government sought tenders for a 10-seat aircraft requires 3,500km range & defensive aid suite. The replacement aircraft’s entry into service will depend on the manufacturer’s capacity and production schedule.
