Ghana’s Presidential jet grounded in France

Ghana’s official presidential aircraft, the Falcon 900EX EASy with registration number 9G-EXE, has been grounded in France since March 11, 2025, undergoing major inspection and repairs due to multiple critical defects, including severe corrosion in its fuel tanks and engine components,

This revelation came in response to a parliamentary inquiry after Vice President, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang returned to Ghana aboard a private jet in May 2025.

During a recent parliamentary session, the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, questioned whether the presidential jet was unavailable, restricted, or reassigned at the time of the Vice President’s private return.

In response, Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah confirmed the jet’s unavailability, citing extensive maintenance work at Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) in Le Bourget, France.

Multiple Safety and Airworthiness Issues Identified

A document obtained by 3news.com which is a detailed status report submitted to Parliament, reveals that the Falcon 900EX was undergoing its mandatory 24-Month/1600 Flight Hour inspection. During this process, technicians discovered:

• Severe corrosion in the aircraft’s left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) feeder tanks, as well as the centre wing tanks.
• Corrosion and damage on Engine No. 2’s air intake plug receptacle and turbofan, which had to be completely replaced.
• Intermittent tripping of the starter-generator on Engine No. 2.
• A series of deferred defects accumulated over previous operations that required manufacturer-level repair.

The report also noted that the fuel tank contamination, if left untreated, can potentially cause engine failure during flight posing a serious safety risk.

Delays and Delivery Setbacks

Originally expected to return by March 26, 2025, the aircraft’s delivery has now been postponed multiple times.

As of July 11, 2025, exactly four months since it was flown out, the jet remains grounded in France according to the report. This year’s delay surpasses previous ones, highlighting what the Defence Ministry describes as a “worrying pattern of delays showing an aging presidential jet”, on the floor of Parliament.

For context:

• 2020–2021 saw no delays
• 2022–2023: delayed by 2.5 months
• 2024: delayed by 2 months
• 2025: already 4 months and counting

While the final handover is now tentatively expected by July 31, 2025, the situation with Ghana’s official presidential jet reveals a need for a long-term solution regarding the aging presidential fleet.