# Other nation's equivalent to Air Force One? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 21, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790 "2019-11-21T18:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/1 "2019-11-21T18:27:10Z")
I was recently reading an article about the history of [Air Force One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Force_One), the official long distance transport reserved for use by the President of the United States and his closest staff. While the piece was fascinating to me, it started my thinking about what other nations provide for their leader’s long distance official/diplomatic travel needs. What’s Putin or Boris Johnson flying these days? I couldn’t even guess at what King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Thailand) or Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (Brunei) might have. There’s no reason to just limit this to aircraft. I’d bet Elizabeth II has something pretty nice in the hangar but I suspect she also has a nice yacht tied up at the docks. What are our world leaders using for their international travel needs? If it’s more impressive than the standard armored limousine, then I’d kind of like to know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/2 "2019-11-21T18:40:17Z")
My understanding is that the Kim family in North Korea prefers to travel via armored train. Putin has a pretty nice yacht, but I don’t think he uses it internationally. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/3 "2019-11-21T18:41:00Z")
This Wikipedia article provides a pretty exhaustive list: > **[Air transports of heads of state and government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_transports_of_heads_of_state_and_government)** > > Air transports for heads of state and government are, in many countries, provided by the air force in specially equipped airliners or business jets. One such aircraft in particular has become part of popular culture: Air Force One, used by the President of the United States and operated by the United States Air Force. Other well known official aircraft include the Russian presidential aircraft, the British Royal Air Force VIP aircraft, the French Cotam 001, the Royal Canadian Air Force VIP airc... ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/4 "2019-11-21T18:42:12Z")
Here’s the wikipedia article on it: > **[Air transports of heads of state and government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_transports_of_heads_of_state_and_government)** > > Air transports for heads of state and government are, in many countries, provided by the air force in specially equipped airliners or business jets. One such aircraft in particular has become part of popular culture: Air Force One, used by the President of the United States and operated by the United States Air Force. Other well known official aircraft include the Russian presidential aircraft, the British Royal Air Force VIP aircraft, the French Cotam 001, the Royal Canadian Air Force VIP airc... ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/5 "2019-11-21T18:50:20Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > There’s no reason to just limit this to aircraft. I’d bet Elizabeth II has something pretty nice in the hangar but I suspect she also has a nice yacht tied up at the docks. No. The last royal yacht, the Britannia, was decommissioned in 1997 and is now a museum. > **[HMY Britannia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Britannia)** > > Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in their service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries. Now retired from royal serv... ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/6 "2019-11-21T18:54:06Z")
And there was a presidential yacht in the US but that was given up some time ago. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/7 "2019-11-21T18:57:34Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > My understanding is that the Kim family in North Korea prefers to travel via armored train. Kim Jong Un has flown several times: [Will Kim Jong Un use Chinese plane or his own to fly to Vietnam for summit with Trump? | The Straits Times](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/will-kim-jong-un-use-chinese-plane-or-his-own-to-fly-to-vietnam-for-summit-with-trump) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/8 "2019-11-21T19:44:52Z")
And [Israel just got a new Air Force 1](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-air-force-one-takes-off-on-1st-test-flight/) (actually, 4X\_ISR, not-IDF anything), with new [livery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airline_liveries_and_logos)! (FTR, until I looked it up I did not until this post know the word “livery” is a thing for machinery of any sort.) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/9 "2019-11-21T19:47:20Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > No. The last royal yacht, the Britannia, was decommissioned in 1997 and is now a museum. > [HMY Britannia - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMY_Britannia) ’ Wasn’t a Royal Yacht sold to Paul Allen or some crazy-rich Saudi prince or Russian oligarch? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/10 "2019-11-21T19:56:01Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And [Israel just got a new Air Force 1](https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-air-force-one-takes-off-on-1st-test-flight/) (actually, 4X\_ISR, not-IDF anything), with new [livery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airline_liveries_and_logos)! > > (FTR, until I looked it up I did not until this post know the word “livery” is a thing for machinery of any sort.) Seems odd that Israel would want to buy and convert a Boeing 767 that had already seen 20 years of flying for this purpose. There would be considerable metal fatigue and the risk of a China Airlines 611 type of accident. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/11 "2019-11-21T21:00:37Z")
Not so much the age as the pressurization cycles determine the airworthiness of the aircraft. [Y508501airspacemag.com/need-to-know/what-determines-an-airplanes-lifespan-29533465/](http://Y508501airspacemag.com/need-to-know/what-determines-an-airplanes-lifespan-29533465/) A 767 being a 2-asile jumbo jet used between hubs might make only two flights a day (6- 7 hours duration). A Southwest 737 might make 6 flights a day or more. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/12 "2019-11-21T21:14:03Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Seems odd that Israel would want to buy and convert a Boeing 767 that had already seen 20 years of flying for this purpose. There would be considerable metal fatigue and the risk of a China Airlines 611 type of accident. If they don’t intend to fly it all day every day, it’s probably a waste of money to buy a new airframe. When NASA needed a second Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, they bought a 16 year old 747 with 32,000 hours of flight time. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/other-nations-equivalent-to-air-force-one/843790/13 "2019-11-21T21:19:36Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Not so much the age as the pressurization cycles determine the airworthiness of the aircraft. > > [Y508501airspacemag.com/need-to-know/what-determines-an-airplanes-lifespan-29533465/](http://Y508501airspacemag.com/need-to-know/what-determines-an-airplanes-lifespan-29533465/) > > A 767 being a 2-asile jumbo jet used between hubs might make only two flights a day (6- 7 hours duration). A Southwest 737 might make 6 flights a day or more. A good example of the difference was the Aloha Air that was only used for shorty island-hopping flights, with multiple take-offs and landing per day. By the time its roof blew off, it had approximately double the recommended decompression-compression cycles. > **[Aloha Airlines Flight 243](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloha_Airlines_Flight_243)** > > Aloha Airlines Flight 243 (IATA: AQ243, ICAO: AAH243) was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, caused by part of the fuselage breaking due to poor maintenance and metal fatigue. The plane was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui. The one fatality, flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, was ejected from the airplane. Another...