On April 13, the Argentine government completed the acquisition of a Boeing 757-200 with a VVIP cabin to be used as a presidential aircraft.
The aircraft with accommodations for 39 passengers, including a master suite and two other bedrooms, was acquired from C&L Aerospace, a US company specializing in the management of private aircraft, and should receive the designation ARG-01.
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Although it has not revealed its identification, the Boeing 757 has registration N757AG and originally flew with Iberia from 2000. Five years later it was transformed into a VIP aircraft in the United States and was parked at Salina Airport in March.
As part of the deal, C&L bought the old Argentine presidential 757, which is stored in Buenos Aires in no flight condition. In Argentina, the plane carrying the country’s president is called by the radio code “Tango 01”.
The details of the transaction were not disclosed, but it is known that in 2022 the Argentine Congress approved the release of a budget of US$ 25 million for the purchase of a new presidential plane.
“We were happy to assist one of our main customers in acquiring this critical asset for their government,” said Martin Cooper, SVP Sales for C&L Aerospace. “The nature of our business and the emphasis we put on the relationships we have with our customers lends itself well to helping solve their complex problems and support needs.”
Tango 01 for sale “as is”
The purchase of another executive Boeing 757 comes after comings and goings about the fate of the Tango 01. In 2020, Argentine President Alberto Fernández had determined that the country’s presidential plane be recovered.
The project was budgeted at around US$ 12 million and would be carried out by FADEA, an aircraft manufacturer in Argentina. That plan, however, was scrapped.
Since 2015, the presidential 757 has been parked at El Palomar Air Base in Buenos Aires. The aircraft would only have 14,000 hours of flight time, but would require a profound overhaul in addition to updating communication technology.
C&L announced that it is offering the 757-200 “Tango 01” for sale on an “as is” basis.
