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by Jason Moore

I could never understand the public and political opposition to plans drawn up by former Prime Minister Tony Blair for a British official plane, similar to Air Force 1 in the United States. At the moment the government and the royal family have to rely on rented aircraft whenever they travel long distance abroad. This costs the tax-payer millions of pounds. The Royal Air Force has started to take delivery of 14 new Airbus air tankers. These are formidable aircraft and one could easily be converted for VIP use. It would allow the Queen or the Prime Minister much more flexibility on foreign visits and would probably save the tax-payer money. It would also be a good opportunity to fly the flag for the European aviation industry. Sizeable parts of all Airbus aircraft are built in Britain. It is madness for Britain not to have an official plane and a royal yacht. The people who oppose official transport aircraft and a royal yacht are short sighted and are not seeing the much wider picture. It is also a costly mistake.