Ireland will purchase a new Dassault Falcon 6X jet for €53 million to replace its aging aircraft fleet. The jet will be used to transport ministers and VIPs, as well as for defense and civilian missions.
Ireland is to get a new Government jet – at a cost of more than €50 million, Tanaiste Micheal Martin has confirmed. The French-made 14-seater Dassault Falcon 6X is costing the taxpayer €53 million, excluding VAT, and should be delivered to the Air Corps by this time next year. That means it will be in use to ferry ministers and VIPs around when Ireland assumes the EU presidency for the second half of 2026.
Mr Martin, who is minister for Defence as well as Foreign Affairs, announced the contract had been awarded to French manufacturer Dassault on Wednesday evening. The government has been without a functioning jet for more than a year and the State has been spending tens of thousands of euros at a time to charter aircraft to fly ministers all over the world on State business. The Air Corps retired the 14-seater Gulfstream IV, capable of carrying 14 people, back in 2014 and since then has been relying on the smaller Learjet 45 – which can hold around seven passengers. It is now 20 years old and is not capable of carrying ministers – so the State has had to charter jets instead. But the government has now signed the agreement for the Falcon 6X – a highly regarded jet. It can fly non-stop for more than 10,000 kilometres – which means it can reach the west coast of the USA without refuelling. Mr Martin said on Wednesday that the jet would also be used by the Air Corps for a variety of defence and civilian missions - including transporting Defence Forces personnel in times of crisis. He said: 'This new next generation aircraft will be a game-changer for the State’s transport, airlift and medical capabilities, with a range of over 5,000 nautical miles meaning it can reach the west coast of the United States without the need to refuel.
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