Varadkar: New Government jet should be capable of long-range flight 

Taoiseach forced to rent private jet for his two-day visit to the Balkans as current Learjet 'no longer reliable'

'The Learjet, which is our current jet, doesn’t get that far, can’t get to America, can’t get to Lebanon. If it had been in use today, I would have had to refuel on the way,' Mr Varadkar said, Picture: Billy Higgins

A new Government jet should be capable of long-range flight and to act as an air ambulance and evacuation method for Irish citizens abroad, the Taoiseach has said.

Leo Varadkar is on a two-day visit to the western Balkans but the unreliability and lack of range of the current Learjet has necessitated the renting of a private jet to bring him, along with some of his delegation, to Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.