The VIP 747-8 plane will take its place among the 11 other state jets in the fleet, which also boasts three helicopters. One of these jets, an Airbus A340 VIP, was formerly owned by deposed Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and bought by Turkey for $78 million in 2016. While the jet’s arrival has drawn criticism of the government for its expenditure, reports have emerged that it was presented to Erdoğan as a gift from Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani.
Turkish news site Kokpit.aero reported the Qatari Sheikh presented it as a gift to demonstrate his “love for Erdoğan and trust for Turkey” after the Turkish President Erdoğan showed an interest in the aircraft, which was on sale for an asking price of around $400 million just three years after being delivered to Qatar in 2015. Kokpit.aero did not provide information on the source of this report. A Boeing 747-8 model jet, which was put up for sale by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has been added to the Republic of Turkey’s state fleet, Taşcıer, who forwarded the claim as a written question to Vice President Fuat Oktay, said.
