Outgoing U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and other ministers are set to take the inaugural flight on “Cam Force One” – Britain’s equivalent to Air Force One – on Friday, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) has revealed the private jet’s interior. It’s an RAF Voyager – typically used as a refueling jet – which has had a £10 million ($12.9 million) makeover and is taking Cameron and a number of other key ministers to the NATO summit in Warsaw.
But the maiden voyage comes just two weeks after Cameron announced his intention to step down as Prime Minister following the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union, meaning this could be his only opportunity to fly on the jet.
And it’ll probably mean that the nickname “Cam Force One” will also need to change. The RAF Voyager’s refurbishment plans were announced in November. It’s based on an Airbus A330 and has been fitted with 58 business seats to transport large contingents abroad. The plane will also be used to transport members of the Royal Family and will still be used for its regular job of refueling other RAF jets while they are flying.
According to the government, the taxpayer will save the taxpayer £775,000 a year on money not being spent on private charters.Until now, senior members of government have used the Royal Squadron for short-haul flights and chartered commercial flights for longer distances. This can be expensive and using the newly refurbished jet will reportedly cost £2,000 per flying hour, compared to £6,700 under the previous arrangement.
It’s the first time that the U.K. government has had its own private jet. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair had plans to buy two planes for government use, but the proposals were scrapped by his successor Gordon Brown.
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