The

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

operates a number of specialised aircraft to transport the

King of Australia The monarchy of Australia is Australia's form of government embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, whil ...

and other members of the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...

, the

Governor General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the princip ...

, senior members of the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

and other dignitaries. The RAAF's current Special Purpose Aircraft are two leased

Boeing Business Jet Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) are versions of Boeing's jet airliners with modifications to serve the private, head of state and corporate jet market. In 1996, Phil Condit, president of The Boeing Company, and Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of Genera ...

s and three

Dassault Falcon 7x The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, range business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the second largest of its Dassault Falcon line. Launched at 2001 Paris Air Show, its first flight was on 5 May 2005 and it entered service on 15 Ju ...

which are operated by No. 34 Squadron RAAF and are based at

Canberra Airport Canberra Airport is an international airport situated in the District of Majura, Australian Capital Territory serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, as well as the nearby city of Queanbeyan and regional areas of the Australian Capital Te ...

. The Boeing Business Jets are custom configured Boeing 737-700s fitted with facilities such as conference tables, offices suites, secure satellite and communication capabilities. The two planes have a longer range than is standard for Boeing Business Jets. The

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

regularly makes use of the aircraft for domestic and international travel. Prior to the acquisition of the 737s, passenger-configured RAAF

Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 2 ...

s tanker-transports were used. These aircraft were larger than the 737s currently in use. In August 2014, the then

Defence Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

announced the intention to convert a KC-30A multi-role tanker to VIP configuration whilst maintaining its ability to serve as a military tanker and transport aircraft. The new plane has tail number A39-007. The new plane is painted in "air force grey" rather than the current colour scheme. The aircraft can now carry more than 100 passengers, including lower ministers and press on lie flat seats. The Prime Minister also has his own private section.

Current Fleet

Dassault Falcon 7X The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, range business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the second largest of its Dassault Falcon line. Launched at 2001 Paris Air Show, its first flight was on 5 May 2005 and it entered service on 15 Ju ...

(3 aircraft, 2019–present) - replacement for Challenger 604s * 737 Boeing Business Jet (2 aircraft, 2002–present) *

Airbus KC-30A The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refuelling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 16 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 68 aircraft, of which 51 h ...

(1 aircraft, 2019–present) - New long range VIP Capacity

History

Prior to 1940, there were no dedicated aircraft available for use by federal government ministers.

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

had become Australia's national capital in 1927, following the relocation of

federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

from the temporary capital

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, but many government agencies had not yet relocated. This necessitated frequent travel between the two cities for government ministers and their staff. In 1936,

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

began operating regular commercial air services using D.H.86s. Many members of parliament continued to prefer railway travel, but Prime Minister

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He began his career in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), ...

was a regular aircraft passenger and regarded the introduction of dedicated aircraft for cabinet ministers as inevitable. In August 1939, by which time Lyons had died in office and been succeeded by

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, a cabinet submission by defence minister

Geoffrey Street Geoffrey Austin Street, (21 January 1894 – 13 August 1940) was an Australian army officer and politician. He was a member of the United Australia Party (UAP) and served as Minister for Defence (1938–1939), the Army (1939–1940) and Repatr ...

identified that "special flying arrangements might be necessary for urgent movements which do not fit in with the timetable of the air services". World War II broke out the following month and a

War Cabinet A war cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war to efficiently and effectively conduct that war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers, although it is quite common for a war cabinet to have senio ...

was formed, meeting several times a week. As a result, in early 1940 air minister

James Fairbairn James Valentine Fairbairn (28 July 1897 – 13 August 1940) was an Australian aviator and politician. A World War I fighter pilot, he represented the United Australia Party (UAP) in federal parliament and served as Minister for Air and Civil ...

approved the conversion of four newly ordered

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and p ...

bombers into passenger aircraft suitable for ministerial use, to be operated by the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF). The "

VIP affair The VIP aircraft affair was an Australian political controversy relating to the use of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) VIP aircraft by the Holt Government and its predecessor the Menzies Government. It occurred in the lead-up to the 1967 Senate ...

" of 1967 arose from the decision by the government and public service to maintain a veil of secrecy over the VIP flights program, attempting to conceal costs, destinations and passengers in order to prevent negative media coverage. This culminated in Prime Minister

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in ...

and Air Minister

Peter Howson Peter Howson OBE (born 27 March 1958) is a Scottish painter. He was a British official war artist in 1993 during the Bosnian War. Early life Peter Howson was born in London of Scottish parents and moved with his family to Prestwick, Ayrs ...

being found to have misled parliament over the existence of passenger manifests.

Airbus KC-30A (A39-007) VIP Transport

For long haul flights, the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft registered A39-007 will fly with up to: *Three Pilots *Two Air Refuelling Operators *Eight Crew Attendants *One Network Technician (Formerly Communications and Information Systems Controller) *One Catering Representative *Five Maintenance consisting of Avionics Technicians and Aircraft Technicians, which can be reduced to four if technicians are cross-trained across both trades. The KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker aircraft incorporates modifications to enable long-range Government transport, including enhanced in-air communications capability to support secure telecommunications. The modifications will enable the business of Government to continue while in the air, with access to unclassified and classified information technology environments and telecommunications. The VIP cabin interior is configured as follows: *VIP accommodation area including two first class seats and seat enclosures *A large meeting room which includes ten taxi, take-off and landing rated seats and a large conference room table *A working area with club style tables, video-telecommunications equipment and twelve taxi, take-off and landing rated seats *Bathroom facilities The cabin configuration includes a total of 102 seats, comprising: *Seating area with 54 standard economy class seats *Seating area with 24 business class seats (lie-down seats) *A First Class lie-flat seating area for two people *Secure conference room with ten reclining seats at a table (and five periphery seats which are not certified for take-off or landing) *Working area with 12 lie-flat seats and tables

List of Former RAAF VIP transport aircraft

RAAF Bombardier CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604 CBR Gilbert-1

RAAF Boeing 707 in 1979 - Steve Fitzgerald

(4 aircraft, 1940–?) * Douglas DC-3 Dakota (? VIP aircraft, 1943?-?) *

Consolidated Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models de ...

(? VIP aircraft, 1944?–1948?) *

Avro York The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical. Due to the importance of Lan ...

(1 aircraft, 1945–1947) *

Convair Metropolitan The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inr ...

(2 aircraft, 1957–1968) *

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. The Vi ...

(2 aircraft, 1964–1969) * Dassault Mystere 20C (3 aircraft, 1967–1989) * Hawker Siddeley HS748 (2 VIP aircraft, 1967–?) *

BAC One-Eleven The BAC One-Eleven (or BAC-111/BAC 1-11) was an early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Originally conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-se ...

(2 aircraft, 1968–1989) *

(4 aircraft, 1979–2008) – reconverted to tanker transport *

Dassault Falcon 900 The Dassault Falcon 900, commonly abbreviated as the F900, is a French-built corporate trijet aircraft made by Dassault Aviation. Development The Falcon 900 is a development of the Falcon 50, itself a development of the earlier Falcon 20. The ...

(5 aircraft, 1989–2002) * Challenger 604 (3 aircraft, 2002–2019)RAAF Museu
A37 Challenger CL 604
/ref> RAAF Vickers Viscount (AWM 128878)

References

External links

RAAF Air Lift Group

– RAAF News
RAAF Serial Numbers 1961–present
– ADF Serials

– AM, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

– QANTAS Defence Services

- Regarding the RAAF airbus registration A39-007 {{ADF Aircraft Aircraft in Royal Australian Air Force service

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Prime Minister of Australia Governors-General of Australia Monarchy in Australia Royal vehicles Government of Australia Transport in Australia