Reactions have continued to trail the plan by the Federal Govern­ment to put its Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ) for sale, nearly 20 years after acquisition.

This is as aviation experts have warned the Federal Government against selling the aircraft at a giveaway price.

The aircraft, which was ac­quired in 2005 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the sum of $43 million is being sold through AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Swit­zerland.

The government had previous­ly mentioned high maintenance costs, safety concerns and the de­sire to modernise its fleet as some of the reasons for abandoning aircraft in the maintenance yard.

President Bola Tinubu in 2024, had also acquired a refurbished 15 years old (as of the time of acquisi­tion) Airbus A330-200 aircraft with the registration number 5N-FGA in 2024 at the sum of N150 billion when converted to Nigerian cur­rency as a replacement for the B737-700 aircraft.

The National Assembly had said then that the acquisition of the refurbished plane did not go through it.

Nigeria is also the third owner of the same aircraft with the test registration number F-WWKR and Manufacturer Serial Num­ber (MSN) 1053, which the Federal Government took delivery of from Toulouse, France, its production site.

The Nigerian government had acquired the A330-200 aircraft from AMAC Aerospace, the same company that is seeking to sell the B737-700 aircraft on behalf of the Federal Government.

However, aviation experts have warned the government against the sales of the aircraft at a give­away price, citing the sales of the presidential B727-200 jet at a ridic­ulous price by the government a few years ago.

Commenting on the issue, Capt. Mohammed Badamasi, a seasoned aviation professional, said that a 20 years old aircraft could not be cate­gorised as an old equipment, if the user adheres strictly to the manu­facturer’s maintenance schedules.

He, however, explained that a 20-year-old aircraft with a record of maintenance issues should be sold to make way for a younger and more popular aircraft that is maintenance-friendly.

Badamasi also warned that the presidential aircraft should not be sold at a giveaway price by the gov­ernment, but at a profitable rate for the country.

He also called on the govern­ment to be transparent and patri­otic with the sales of the aircraft.

He said: “The sale of the air­craft, though it is a used aircraft, could recover the amount used for the purchase at the time of pur­chase 20 years ago. It should not be auctioned at a giveaway price like in the past sales.

“The other unserviceable air­craft should be sold as used unser­viceable aircraft, but not as aircraft that are beyond economic repairs.

“In all these, the process of sales has to be transparent and patriotic. It should not be done as it was on the sold presidential B727-200 jet, which was sold at a giveaway price. I’m not sure if the buyer has finished payment yet.”

Also Capt. Samuel Caulcrick, an aviation consultant, said that keeping an older aircraft in an executive fleet had the potential of economic drawbacks.

Caulcrick, a one-time Rector of the Nigerian College of Avia­tion Technology (NCAT), Zaria, told Daily Independent that an older aircraft may require more frequent and costly maintenance, adding that a less efficient engine could increase fuel costs.

For him, a retirement and sale of such an airplane could be a good option if a good price could be obtained, allowing the fleet to be upgraded to more efficient and cost-effective models.

Besides, Mr. Frank Oruye, a staff of the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, stated that to keep or sell a presidential aircraft largely depended on the mission and roles of the presidential air fleet.

He explained that as presently constituted, three of the 10 aircraft in the fleet of the presidential fleet were unserviceable.

Oruye, however, insisted that a 20-year-old aircraft was not too old to be in the fleet of the presiden­cy, stressing that there are older aircraft in the fleet of the United States Air Force One.

According to him, a 20 years old aircraft could be put up for sale if it became surplus to requirement and operating at a high cost rate.

Besides, he advised the govern­ment to have a multimodal fleet – long haul, short, medium haul and helicopters for improved efficiency.

To Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd.), aviation security expert, said recent unfavourable reports of Boeing aircraft manufacturers in almost 10 years of its new 737 versions especially the MAX and the 800 may be one of the reasons for the sale of the presidential air­craft by the government.

Ojikutu feared that the recent crisis befalling the aircraft manu­facturer may lead to an escalating C-checks cost and high insurance premium, maintaining that Air­bus and the Embraer were the air­craft in the market for commercial and government purposes.

He added: “Airbus has since become the alternative to Boeing especially with recent incidents, serious incidents and accidents involving Boeing.

“Preferred commercial aircraft for airlines today are the Airbus series. If the presidency has it in its plan to change the 20 years old Boeing to Airbus, it is in order with the global practices now.”

News had filtered out about a week ago that the Nigerian govern­ment had put its 20 years old Boe­ing 737‑700 Business Jet up for sale, with the listing hosted by AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland.

Details obtained by the media on online from US-based aircraft listing site, The Controller: 2005 BOEING BBJ For Sale in Basle, gave hints about the planned sales of the aircraft.