Nigeria’s N150 billion presidential jet has returned to Abuja after receiving maintenance and repainting in South Africa, marking the end of several months of downtime after it was grounded in February 2025. The Airbus A330-200, registered as 5N-FGA, was purchased by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in August 2024 and is now resplendent in Nigeria’s official national colours, symbolising its formal status in the presidential fleet.
The plane was transferred to South Africa in May 2025 for critical work that included stripping its first interim commercial paint, applying the green and white livery with the Nigerian Air Force emblem, and carrying out minor interior renovations. The timetable for its refurbishment—coming less than a year after the acquisition—triggered public criticism and suspicion over government spending amid ongoing economic hardships faced by Nigerians.
The Airbus A330-200 is a twin-aisle, wide-body aircraft outfitted with state-of-the-art facilities suited to executive travel. Its amenities include a master bedroom, bathroom facilities, a conference room, and secure communication technologies, which jointly fulfill the needs of presidential tasks and confer privacy and security during flights.
Before renovation, the plane was grounded after only a few months of limited service, requiring President Tinubu to rely on an older Boeing Business Jet registered in San Marino (T7-NAS) for official flights from early 2025. The repainted jet’s return to Nigeria’s Presidential Air Fleet is intended to allow it to resume its primary function, pending normal acceptance checks by the Nigerian Air Force’s elite 001 Squadron, which operates the aircraft.
The rebuilt jet’s technical advantages include significant fuel efficiency and cheaper maintenance costs compared to the previous workhorse, a 20-year-old Boeing 737 BBJ bought in 2005 and currently advertised for sale in Switzerland. Supporters of the move believe that, despite its $100 million (N150 billion) price tag, the new Airbus will save the government millions in operational expenses over time due to its sophisticated avionics and increased fuel economy.
However, the purchase and accompanying restoration expenses have stoked public discussion. Critics have questioned the timing and morality of spending extensively on luxury transportation in a country dealing with mounting debt, poverty, and instability. Opposition lawmakers and civil society groups have judged the spending exorbitant and ill-justified, underlining the mismatch between the cost of the jet and the economic problems encountered by many Nigerians.
The repainting estimated cost falls within aviation industry averages for a wide-body aircraft, expected between $190,000 and $320,000 for a full strip-and-paint job. The comparatively modest green-and-white pattern suggests the expenditure may be closer to the lower end of this spectrum. Still, Nigerian officials declined to disclose the specific cost of repainting, prompting speculation connected to transparency concerns.
President Tinubu himself has already used the jet following its return. Footage posted by the State House shows him boarding the aircraft for a visit to Kano State immediately after it arrived back in Abuja. Upcoming plans include visits to Ogun State to express condolences for the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona—a revered monarch who passed away after 65 years on the throne, as stated by official sources.
The arrival of this sophisticated aircraft enhances what is generally regarded as one of Africa’s largest presidential aviation fleets, which allegedly contains at least 11 aircraft under President Tinubu’s command. The fleet contains numerous fixed-wing jets and helicopters, including two Agusta 101 helicopters, Falcon 7Xs, a Gulfstream G550, and the recently mothballed Boeing Business Jet. Notably, numerous jets in the fleet remain unserviceable, showing the complexity and cost of sustaining such an enormous program.
Contextually, the Airbus A330 is capable of nonstop flights surpassing 13 hours, allowing direct travel to distant foreign destinations such as New York or Beijing without refuelling stops, considerably enhancing the government’s transport capacities. This is a huge advance compared to the earlier presidential aircraft it replaced, significantly increasing Nigeria’s diplomatic and executive mobility.
The return of the recently renovated N150 billion presidential jet symbolizes both a step forward in modernizing Nigeria’s executive air travel and an ongoing flashpoint in national conversations over public expenditure priorities. While the aircraft’s advanced features and operating efficiencies are billed as long-term cost-saving measures, the timing and scale of the investment remain extremely divisive among Nigerians suffering economic challenges.
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