Three aircraft from the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) are set to be sold as part of efforts to reduce the high cost of running the government.

Currently, the fleet consists of 10 aircraft, including six jets and four helicopters, which will be reduced to seven if the planned sale is successful.

The decision to sell the aircraft is part of cost-saving measures initiated by President Bola Tinubu's administration. The PAF's maintenance costs have been substantial, with approximately N80 billion budgeted for maintenance from 2016 to 2023. The President expressed concern over the rising maintenance costs and directed that the fleet be reduced.

President Muhammadu Buhari's government also attempted to sell two planes from the fleet in 2016, a Dassault Falcon 7x executive jet and a Beechcraft Hawker 4000 business jet, but the sale did not materialize. Instead, an arrangement was made to charter some of the aircraft to willing governors to generate income and reduce government expenses on maintenance.

The aircraft in the Presidential Fleet include Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) 737, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7X, HS 4000, two Agusta 139, and two Agusta 101. The BBJ 737 serves as the Nigerian Air Force One, exclusively used by the President for official trips.

The decision to sell the aircraft is aimed at reducing the high maintenance costs associated with the fleet. The actual figure of outstanding commitments on the fleet, as well as the fate of the President's BBJ 737, which cost about $43 million during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, remains unclear.

In another cost-saving measure, President Tinubu has imposed a three-month travel ban on public-funded foreign trips by Federal Government officials, effective from April 1.