An Taoiseach will fly to Washington on the Government’s new €53 million jet this St Patrick’s Day. 

The Dassult Falcon 6x was manufactured in France and was delivered to the Air Corps in December last year. 

The black plane is embossed by a harp and the triclour is painted on its tailfin.

It can carry 14 passengers and has an operational distance of 10,200 kilometres. 

The Falcon 6x replaces a Learjet 45 as the designated ‘Government jet’, which was operational for 20 years and not suitable for long haul travel. 

 “Getting into it, people like me had to squeeze in,” Kevin Byrne, a retired Colonel in the Irish Aer Corps, explained on Moncrieff.

“It wasn't as comfortable as the Gulfstream IV, which was the big white Government jet that people remember when the President and other people went in and around and that kind of thing. We had that for 20 years as well.

“So, we do get good value for money in terms of what we buy, I think. 

“Buying new is probably the best thing to do in this case.” 

Government Jet. Picture by: Air Corps.

While the price tag of €54 million might seem high to some, the Falcon 6x is actually a modest jet in comparison to those used by the Taoiseach’s international colleagues. 

“When you compare it to the European Union, it's the smallest aircraft in service,” Mr Byrne said. 

“For example, the British use Airbus A320s and they also use A330s, the big fat ones Aer Lingus used to cross the Atlantic in. 

“And if you remember a lovely man called President Zelensky, he arrived in an Airbus 319 from Ukraine recently and that was a business executive jet of a commercial airline.” 

Government Jet. Picture by: Air Corps.

Mr Byrne added that the plane is not luxurious and could best be described as “business class type stuff”. 

“But this is what you get when you get a new aircraft, you get a free colour scheme on the outside and you get a sort of different suite of fittings,” he said. 

“There’ll be probably false leather seats, they'll be comfortable enough, of course. 

“There'll be a galley and a toilet in the back and that kind of thing.”

Crucially as well, it will also be equipped with communication equipment that will allow the Taoiseach to transmit decisions securely from anywhere in the world. 

It can also be used for repatriation flights for Irish citizens who find themselves in need of evacuation.

Main image: The new Government Jet. Picture by: Air Corps.