The new government plane, a Boeing 737, was unveiled at Woensdrecht Air Base over the weekend. It is sleek, economical and decked out with the latest technology.
Always interesting to see what kind of image a government wants to project to the outside world. Will there be golden tables? Or massive Dutch flags? And since the King is actually a professional pilot as well, what will the cockpit look like?
Don’t worry that the Netherlands has just gone full nepotism and just bought the King a plane for private fun. It’s for all governmental stuff and will carry the PM and ministers as well, so not just our flying royals…
Royal upgrades
Ruud van Brandwijk, the leader of the project, said to RTL the focus of the plane is completely different from its predecessor.
Here’s an interesting walk-through of the plane:
The craft maintains a businesslike appearance but comprises typical Dutch flares. The blue colour of the government is the feature colour but an orange accent is painted on the wing. Cushions boasting typical Dutch symbols like tulips, windmills and canal houses add texture to the luxurious internal seats. The in-flight entertainment consists of an automatic audio and video system with camouflaged speakers integrated into the interior.
An additional water tank added in the plane affords the possibility of taking an inflight shower too.
Daar is ie dan: het nieuwe regeringsvliegtuig. Het is een Boeing 737 BBJ en hij heet PH-GOV (van government). Straks mag iedereen hem komen bekijken. Ook koning Willem-Alexander zou ‘m mogen vliegen, hij haalde z’n brevet voor dit type een paar jaar geleden. pic.twitter.com/5r8fRA0GUQ
— Robin van Hijfte (@robinvanhijfte) July 6, 2019
A man of many talents?
The Dutch king could technically fly the plane, given he held a job as a part-time pilot and worked for KLM as a hobby.
He comments “You can’t take your problems from the ground into the skies. You can completely disengage and concentrate on something else. That, for me, is the most relaxing part of flying.”
How much did it cost?
What we all really want to know..
The Boeing 737 (not to be confused with the Boeing 737 MAX which was grounded world-wide after two fatal crashes) first entered airline service in 1968. This particular version of the plane cost around 90 million euros.
The plane will start being used next month, just in-time for the summer holidays!
Feat image: Disclaimer – not actual plane. Source: Flickr
