The Federal Government has put its two-decade-old Boeing 737‑700 Business Jet up for sale, with the listing hosted by AMAC Aerospace in Basel, Switzerland.
The aircraft, acquired for $43m in 2005 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, is being sold months after President Bola Tinubu transitioned to a refurbished Airbus A330-200 last August amid economic concerns and public scrutiny.
This is according to details obtained by PUNCH Online from US-based aircraft listing site, The Controller: https://www.controller.com/listing/for-sale/244434099/2005-boeing-bbj-jet-aircraft.
The plane had undergone inspections and maintenance in preparation for sale, according to aviation marketplace Controller.com.
Nigeria’s presidential air fleet, overseen by the Nigerian Air Force and the Office of the National Security Adviser, has about 10 aircraft.
These include fixed wings such as a 13-year-old Gulfstream Aerospace G550, Gulfstream G500, two Falcon 7Xs, a Hawker 4000, and a Challenger 605.
Three of the seven fixed wings are reportedly unserviceable.
The rotor-wing fleet includes two Agusta 139s and two Agusta 101s, all operated by the Nigerian Air Force but supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Both the Buhari and Tinubu administrations had earlier pledged to streamline the PAF for cost-efficiency.
Until August 2024, the BBJ-737 with tail number 5N-FGT ferried the president until the administration acquired the refurbished Airbus A330-200, registered 5N‑FGA.
The aircraft, acquired for roughly $100m (approximately N150bn) from a repossessed German bank asset, arrived in France for initial maintenance and reconfiguration in mid-2024.
However, since February 2025, the president has been using a San Marino-registered BBJ (REG: T7-NAS).
Sources who spoke to PUNCH Online in early May 2025 confirmed that the new A330-200 had been flown to South Africa to change its livery to reflect the Nigerian colours and the office of the President.
“The last I heard is that they took it abroad, I think to South Africa, to change the body design. You know it doesn’t have the green white green,” one source had said, asking to remain anonymous.
“It’s not only the body paint. I learned they are doing some refurbishment on it,” a second official stated.
The Swiss private aviation firm, which facilitated the acquisition of the Airbus A330, PUNCH Online, understands, is also preparing the BBJ-737 for sale.
With over 19 years in service, the Presidency said the BBJ became increasingly expensive to maintain and subject to safety scrutiny, particularly after a mechanical incident during an official trip to Saudi Arabia in April 2024.
Despite a partial refurbishment in July 2024, including upgrades to its first-class seating, new carpeting, and completion of C1-C2 inspections, the presidency is retiring the jet and listing it for sale.
Also, the aircraft is not enrolled in any engine maintenance programme, while both of its CFM56-7BE engines remain “on condition,” that is, they are not subject to guaranteed performance coverage.
According to the listing, interested buyers may contact AMAC Aerospace for the asking price privately.
Configured to carry 33 passengers and 8 crew, the listing said the aircraft offers a 5-zone seating layout.
Zone 1 is dedicated to crew rest, including two crew rest seats and two cabin attendant seats. Zone 2 features a VIP stateroom equipped with a bed, a two-place divan, and a private lavatory. Zone 3 includes a VIP lounge configured as a four-seat conference room.
In Zone 4, passengers will find nine forward-facing first-class seats. Finally, Zone 5 offers eighteen forward-facing business-class seats.
The aircraft underwent a partial interior refurbishment in July 2024, including new carpeting through 90 per cent of the cabin and a full refurbishment of the first-class seating area.
Full-service galleys are located both forward and aft, featuring a steam oven, microwave, chilled compartments, storage areas, and warming drawers.
There are four enclosed lavatories—one for crew use, one within the VIP stateroom, one serving the first-class cabin, and another in the business-class section.
Connectivity is provided via Ka-Band Wi-Fi powered by the Honeywell MCS-7000 system.
Entertainment options include a 32-inch monitor in the master bedroom, another in the VIP lounge, one more in the first-class cabin, and two 21-inch monitors in the business-class cabin.
It said the BBJ is equipped with cutting-edge avionics systems. It includes three VHF communication radios by Gables Engineering, two VHF navigation radios by Rockwell Collins, and two HF transceivers. Safety and situational awareness are enhanced by an L3 Comms DFDR, a CVR, and Honeywell’s EGPWS.
The aircraft is fitted with two ATC transponders, a pair of DME units, and Rockwell Collins radio altimeters.
Additional avionics include three Thales ADC/ADM units, two Honeywell ADIRUs, and Rockwell Collins weather radar and TCAS systems.
Emergency equipment includes an Artex ELT with an interface unit. The flight control and guidance systems comprise two Rockwell Collins FCCs, a Flight Dynamics HGS computer, and two Smith Industries FMS units.
Navigation aids include two ADFs and two Rockwell Collins MMR(GLU) units. Cabin pressurisation is managed by two Nord-Micro CPCs.
The aircraft also carries integrated flight and engine monitoring systems, with components by BAE Systems, Hamilton Sundstrand, Oeco, Honeywell, Teledyne Controls, Vibro-Meter, and Avtech.
Controller.com says the aircraft is fully compliant with ADS-B, CPDLC, FANS-1/A, and RVSM requirements.
The Boeing BBJ is powered by two CFM56-7BE engines, each with 3,821 hours since new and 1,881 cycles.
The engines are on-condition and not enrolled in a maintenance programme.
The auxiliary power unit, a Honeywell 131-9B, has logged 5,982 hours and 3,622 cycles.
It says the aircraft is capable of intercontinental range, thanks to eight auxiliary fuel tanks that boost total capacity to 70,000 pounds.
This includes standard tanks of 45,000 pounds, plus auxiliary tanks split between the left wing (8,500 lbs), right wing (8,500 lbs), centre (28,000 lbs), forward aux (10,000 lbs), and aft aux (15,000 lbs).
Currently, the BBJ is undergoing B1-B2 inspections at AMAC Aerospace in Basel.
The C1-C2 inspections were completed in July 2024. Maintenance is tracked using the Veyron system.
On the outside, the aircraft retains its original 2005 exterior paint scheme, featuring a white base accented with green highlights to portray the Nigerian colours.
Efforts to get official confirmation of the listing from the Presidency were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, went unanswered as of the time of filing this report.
