Bertie to join high-fliers' club with €50m jet
Aviation experts say the Boeing 737 Business Jet, which the Government is expected to buy, means he'll be flying in more style than British prime minister Tony Blair.
The spacious jet, which has room for a large communications centre and even a double bed, would be powerful enough to fly Government ministers on long-haul transatlantic flights.
In contrast, Mr Blair is forced to charter what commercial planes are available and is usually stuck with the ageing British Aerospace 146.
"Tony Blair's transport is pathetic compared with what the Irish Government is planning to get," said David Learmont of Flight International magazine.
"The Bae146 can only go very, very short distances. The Irish jet could go to the other side of America without stopping."
The Boeing business jet also comes with a choice of interior decoration ranging from the basic to sumptuous.
It would be a major change from the 12-year-old Gulfstream GIV jet, which has broken down twice in the past couple of months.
Mr Ahern was forced to cancel a meeting with UN secretary general Kofi Annan when the plane broke down on a trip to the US, while he was left red-faced last week when his departure from Mexico was aborted at the last minute.
Despite its troubled history, some estimate the Government jet could claw back anything up to half of its original €40m price tag if sold .
If plans to purchase or lease the new Boeing jet are given the green light, Mr Ahern will finally be able to rival the richest and most powerful heads of state.
But whatever plane he ends up with, he won't be able to compete with Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah, better known as the Sultan of Brunei, who has a 400-seater jumbo jet
