Romanian Govt. gets EUR 3 mln to start leasing contract for official airplane, seeks to buy one from Italian Govt.

The Romanian Government will receive EUR 3 million from this year's budget to lease an airplane exclusively for state officials. The leasing contract will be done via the Agency for State Patrimony (RAPPS). Last week, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said the Government was looking to sign an agreement with the Italian Government to buy a plane, as the Italian Government plans to sell one of the six planes it runs. The new plane will be used for special flights, flying the Romanian President, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies presidents, Prime Minister, ministers and their foreign counterparts while on official visits to Romania. According to the PM Victor Ponta, Romania is the only EU country which does not have an official airplane. It presently rents out a plane from Tarom every time its officials need to fly out. This makes it costlier for the country, plus the airplane is set to undergo repairs this fall. editor@romania-insider.com