Update: Romanian defense minister Radu Miruță gave press statements on Thursday, January 9, on the president’s travel from Paris with the C-27J Spartan military aircraft. “The weather conditions in Bucharest when the aircraft was supposed to land were below limits: if the cloud ceiling is lower than 60 meters and visibility below 600 meters, the aircraft cannot land. The aircraft has no problem; however, the snowfall and de-icing capacity did not allow movement on the runway,” the minister said, cited by G4Media.

Unlike the military plane, commercial aircraft allow landing below a 60-meter cloud ceiling. Nevertheless, over 1,000 flights were cancelled in Amsterdam and Paris as a result of the weather conditions, according to the minister.

Regarding costs, Radu Miruță also said that the flight was six times cheaper than the trips undertaken by former president Iohannis between 2023 and 2024. “The information that the aircraft had a problem, that the costs are higher, is completely untrue,” he added, saying that he supports the acquisition of a presidential airplane. 

Original story: Earlier this week, Romanian president Nicușor Dan took part in a gathering of leaders in Paris. On Wednesday, January 7, he returned to Romania after the official delegation accompanying him was stranded at the airport in the French capital due to unfavorable weather. The incident restarted the debate over the fact that Romania still does not have a presidential plane.

The meeting attended by Dan at the Élysée Palace was hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron and included Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. At the end of the meeting, Dan held a press conference at the Romanian Embassy in Paris. The official delegation and the journalists accompanying the president were supposed to return to Bucharest on Tuesday evening. However, unfavorable weather delayed the departure, Mediafax announced.

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a travel warning as early as Tuesday, January 6, for France concerning an orange code for heavy snowfall and icy conditions.

“Last night we decided not to leave anymore because we would have arrived at 3–4 in the morning, and that wouldn’t have been good. It’s an unusual situation for France; usually, it doesn’t snow here. It snowed, the runway had to be cleared, and we are waiting until the runway is cleared,” Nicusor Dan explained on Wednesday morning, January 7.

The president finally returned that evening on board a Spartan aircraft operated by the Romanian Air Force. The plane managed to take off from Paris around 4:30 PM after two failed attempts. 

During the flight from Paris to Bucharest, the Spartan aircraft carrying the head of state was escorted by two F-18 fighter jets over Swiss airspace, a gesture of appreciation for the support provided in the international transport of the victims of the Crans-Montana fire, the president said on his Facebook page. 

Nicușor Dan explained that the use of military aircraft for foreign trips is a solution linked to reducing the expenses of the Presidential Administration. He said that such solutions led to savings worth RON 30 million (EUR 6 million) in 2025, as announced earlier this month. 

The head of state specified that, although there is a real need for a presidential aircraft, Romania’s socio-economic situation does not allow such a purchase at this time. For this reason, decisions regarding air transport are taken on a case-by-case basis, depending on distance and destination.

Asked what solutions exist for longer trips, where a military aircraft cannot be used, the president explained that the Presidential Administration will resort, from case to case, to chartering aircraft. In the same context, the president emphasized that the use of commercial flights is a viable option when destinations are well-connected.

Former president Klaus Iohannis, infamous for his expensive foreign trips, spent nearly EUR 23 million on private flights during his term. He made 193 foreign trips by plane over more than 10 years in office. The sum does not include accommodation or other expenses, according to Euronews Romania.

Romania had a presidential aircraft until 2012, a Boeing 707, used by Nicolae Ceaușescu, Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu, and Traian Băsescu. The aircraft, which no longer met European noise regulations, was sold to the United States for USD 2 million. It is now used by the US military as a tanker.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Nicușor Dan on Facebook)