Konrad Adenauer (aircraft)
The Konrad Adenauer is a German aircraft used by the government for official travel and diplomatic business. It is named after German statesman Konrad Adenauer. Like all German governmental aircraft, the Konrad Adenauer is maintained by the Luftwaffe/ 1.Luftwaffendivision at Köln/Bonn. Two different aircraft have carried the name.
Konrad Adenauer (10+21) 1990-2011
The first Konrad Adenauer was an Airbus A310-304 (msn 498), just like the other similar-purposed German aircraft Kurt Schumacher, Hermann Köhl and Theodor Heuss. The Konrad Adenauer had a white livery with the national colours of Germany (black-red-gold) around it and the words "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (Federal Republic of Germany).
In February 2011, the Konrad Adenauer was used to safely evacuate citizens of 15 nations from Libya.[1] Soon after, in April 2011, the A310-304 Konrad Adenauer was replaced by an Airbus A340-313 VIP purchased secondhand from Lufthansa, also named Konrad Adenauer. The A310-304 was eventually sold to French operator Novespace, which currently operates the airframe as a zero-g aircraft.
New Konrad Adenauer (16+01) 2011-present
The current Konrad Adenauer is a former Lufthansa Airbus A340-313 (msn 274) re-configured into a VIP configuration with sleeping rooms and a wide variety of safety technology. This current Konrad Adenauer is capable of flying 13,500 km (8,400 mi) non-stop, with the capability of transporting 143 passengers.
References
See also
- Air transports of heads of state and government
- Air Force One, the analogous plane used by the President of the United States.
- http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/neue-kanzlermaschine-konrad-adenauer-ist-startklar-1669331.html