How Angela Merkel lives: salary, housing and cars. "I can see everything from above, you should know so"

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will soon receive her own "board number 1" - a used Airbus A321 aircraft, updated, but without any of the luxurious options for which some of the planes of top officials of the state are known.

In Germany, the Bundeswehr is responsible for the flights of government officials, but the military cannot cope with the busy travel schedule for officials with a limited number of aircraft.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas alone flew more than 118,000 km in his first 100 days in office.

The Luftwaffe has eight VIP planes and sometimes not enough of them. Maas was forced to fly a commercial flight to New York for one of the most important events of the year - voting for Germany as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The lack of VIP jets is exacerbated by the fact that the Chancellor and the President must have spare jets for travel if problems arise with their jets. In June, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit to Belarus was delayed at the last minute due to malfunctions in his plane.

But soon Lufthansa is to hand over to the armed forces another aircraft, which has been undergoing modification for the past year and a half.

The official aircraft of the German Chancellor will be the Airbus A321. It has been part of the Lufthansa fleet since 2000 and was named after the German city of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse.

The Lufthansa logo will be replaced by a German flag bearing the words "Federal Republic of Germany". Lufthansa experts have completely renovated and modernized the Airbus, increased the takeoff weight by 4 tons and completely renovated the interior. In total, they made 180 modifications, which explains why the aircraft took so long to update.

The plane can carry up to 84 passengers, 14 of them in the VIP area, where Merkel or other senior ministers will sit with their closest aides.

70 seats remained for delegation officials, security personnel, journalists and other guests.

Unlike conventional luxury government jets, Merkel's jet obviously won't have many ancillary services. For example, the seating position in the delegation area is the same as on commercial flights in economy class. Also, there is no shower on the plane.

The aircraft is expected to have a range of about 5,000 kilometers and can be used both on short flights in Europe and on medium-haul flights to regions such as North America.

The choice of a used aircraft in the Bundeswehr is simply explained: "It was cheaper and therefore easier for the taxpayers' pocket." The exact cost of the upgrade is unknown, but it is estimated that hundreds of millions of euros were spent on the aircraft.

But what is only a means of transportation for an ordinary person, for the president is an office, a house, a bomb shelter and even a mobile hospital. “Smart Magazine” invites leaders of different countries to take a walk on private jets.

David Cameron and his "Board of Asceticism"

The British Prime Minister has just recently got his own plane for business flights. For these purposes, the Airbus A330 board was re-equipped with the ability to refuel in the air.

The new aircraft, which is also available for working flights for senior ministers and members of the royal family, cost British taxpayers £ 10 million (over 831 million rubles). The government insists that the use of a separate aircraft will save more than 700,000 pounds a year (58 million rubles) on charter flights. The Prime Minister assures that the equipment of the aircraft was carried out in conditions of austerity using the most "modest" finishing materials. Netizens have already suggested calling "Board number one" "Board of asceticism." In front of the aircraft there is a VIP section with two seats. The section is equipped with curtains that allow you to close and fly in silence.

In the central part there are 58 business class seats for transporting large delegations traveling with the management.

Previously, the government leased aircraft from charter companies for business flights. Several times, David Cameron used the services of low-cost airlines - air carriers that charge a reduced price for their services, in exchange for refusing some of the usual services: pre-booking seats, lack of entertainment video panels, etc. So, in the summer of 2015, a politician, along with bodyguards, was spotted on an economy-class plane heading to Portugal, where the prime minister was planning to spend a vacation with his wife and children. Cameron was caught in the camera lens of a 16-year-old schoolgirl who was taking a selfie. The girl also noted that during the flight, the politician ate chips with paprika with gusto.

Well, now the British Prime Minister can safely enjoy his chips behind the closed curtain of the government liner.

Barack Obama and his "Plane of the Apocalypse"

The term "Air Force One" was coined in the United States during the administration of 34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The callsign is used to designate the aircraft the president is on board. Later the term began to be used in other countries too. Two Boeing VC-25 presidential aircraft - a military modification of the Boeing 747 airliner - entered service in 1990 during the reign of President George W. Bush. The cost of each of them is $ 325 million (20.7 billion rubles). Usually, a presidential flight is preceded by a convoy of transport planes carrying a motorcade of cars, helicopters and other necessary equipment. Barack Obama became the fourth head of state to use this liner as "Board number one".

The interior was designed in 1987 by Nancy Reagan, the wife of the then 40th US President Ronald Reagan. By design, the furnishings were to match the style typical of the southwestern states. In addition, it was supposed to install additional protection against electromagnetic impulses on board. The project turned out to be so laborious that the aircraft was commissioned only under the 41st US President George W. Bush, and not under the 40th, as originally planned.

The seat for the president is located in the central part of the plane, it includes a bedroom with two sofas that converge into a bed, a toilet, a shower and a private office. Seats for journalists are located closer to the rear, they correspond to the level of the first class.

Food can be prepared in two kitchens that can feed up to 100 people at a time. On board the VC-25, there is always an operating table, a supply of necessary medicines and, of course, medical personnel. The salon is divided into guest seats, seats for senior staff, secret service, security and media representatives.

VC-25 was developed as one of the “Doomsday planes”: in case of destruction of all ground command posts of control, Board number one will have to replace them, becoming the general headquarters of the president, minister of defense and other members of the military leadership.

The aircraft is capable of covering a distance equal to approximately ⅓ the length of the Equator without refueling. This allows the American leader to fly from Washington to virtually anywhere in the world without worrying about the amount of fuel.

Six flying palaces of Vladimir Putin

Air transportation of all officials of the Russian Federation is provided by the Special Flight Squad “Russia”. Today the number of aircraft carrying the head of the Russian state and chief ministers is six. It is planned that by 2018 their number will increase by two more.

Since 1996, the main presidential aircraft has been the Il-96-300PU, a modified version of the passenger Il-96. The two letters in the abbreviation stand for “control point”. The device is equipped with equipment that allows you to control the armed forces in the event of a nuclear conflict and has an increased range without refueling. The first aircraft of this modification was used by the then head of state Boris Yeltsin since 1996. For some time, President Putin had to fly on the same device.

IL-96-300PU model 1996:

A new plane for Vladimir Putin was built in 2003. On board there were three bars, a lounge with two beds and a 10 square meter study. In 2010, Dmitry Medvedev, who at that time held the presidency, announced his intention to expand the aircraft fleet by two more similar Il-96-300PU devices, but both of them were transferred for use after the end of his term - in 2012 and 2014. On April 25, 2013, it was decided to expand the aircraft fleet by one more Il-96-300PU worth 5.2 billion rubles and one Il-96-300 modification "Salon" for the transportation of large delegations. By the end of 2018, it is planned to replenish the flight squad with two more Il-96-300PU aircraft. The cost of each liner will be about 5 billion rubles. These aircraft differ from ordinary scheduled aircraft with expensive finishing and improved communication equipment, which allows for confidential negotiations and, if necessary, control the country's nuclear forces.

The interior of one of the new presidential planes:

This is how the situation of the presidential Il-96-300PU looked like in 2013:

In the photo, Vladimir Putin meeting on board the presidential plane with the family of junior sergeant Bair Banzaraktsayev, who died in the aftermath of floods in the Far East. Photo by RIA Novosti.

Vladimir Putin and Bair Banzaraktsaev's son Galsan are playing on board the presidential plane. Photo by RIA Novosti .

Francois Hollande and the plane named after another man's wife

Since November 2010, the French presidential fleet has received an Airbus A330-200 aircraft for use, spending about 176 million euros (12.5 billion rubles) on this upgrade.

On board there is a private resting space, a bed, a dressing room and a bathroom, an office, a kitchen, a soundproof meeting room for 12 people, equipment that allows the transmission of encrypted secret messages, a mini-operating room, space for journalists and business experts. The equipment also makes it possible to transport released hostages, including the wounded.

From 2002 to 2010, two Airbus A319s were used as the main aircraft of the presidential republic. On March 25, 2009, then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, along with four ministers, were about to fly to Africa, but when the plane was taxiing onto the runway, one of its engines broke. The president and the escorts had to wait an hour until they were given another board.

Soon after the incident, it was decided to replace the main board of the President of France. After buying the new aircraft, the government decided to sell both old A319s. The first was acquired by the government of Senegal for 32 million euros (2.2 billion rubles), and the second - by the Singapore company Genting Singapore PLC. The French presidential fleet also includes two Falcon 7X aircraft purchased in 2009 and 2010. It is suitable for both close and long distance. The plane can accommodate 16 people and is well suited for situations where the runway is too short to accommodate the large Airbus A330. During the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the two government apparatus Falcon 7X was named "Karla One" in honor of his wife Carla Bruni and "Board number one".

Angela Merkel and her "toy" plane

Until 2011, the German leadership used the Airbus A310 for working flights, which it inherited from the GDR. On March 30, 2011, Lufthansa handed over to the Chancellor's Office the Airbus A340, which carried passengers for 10 years. He became the main aircraft of the chancellor and government. The board received the name of the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Konrad Adenauer, and was reequipped for government needs. In total, the main aircraft in Germany can accommodate 143 passengers. That's twice the size of the Boeing 747 that Barack Obama uses, although they are roughly equal in size.

There are apartments for the first person on board: a bedroom, a shower, a study, a conference room for 12 people, a soundproof room for confidential conversations. There are 116 seats for the accompanying delegation. In addition, it is emphasized that the equipment is designed to transport people with disabilities and the transportation of the sick and wounded. The security system includes a "friend or foe" system and missile defense. The liner is capable of flying 13,500 kilometers without refueling, allowing the German leader to get from Berlin to Beijing, Washington, and even Rio de Janeiro without landing.

Soon after "Konrad Adenauer" the government received a second similar aircraft named after the former President of Germany Theodor Heuss.

Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft cabin

For domestic flights, the Chancellor and members of other management use two Airbus 319 aircraft, which were added to the German government's fleet in 2010. Each of them is designed for 44 passengers. For short-haul flights, German politicians have four small Global 5000 liners from the Canadian company Bombardier (pronounced Bombardier), which can accommodate only 13 passengers and can cover about 8,900 kilometers without landing.

In connection with the "compactness" of this aircraft, a rather funny story happened. In June 2016, a photo of the Bombardier Global 5000 Merkel and Falcon 7X by François Hollande appeared on the Web next to the Boeing 747-400 of the British rock band Iron Maiden. The photo was taken at the Zurich airport. Against the backdrop of the huge Boeing, the planes of Merkel and Hollande looked funny and toy.

Iron Maiden arrived in Switzerland for a concert, while Merkel and Hollande flew in to take part in the opening of the railway tunnel. “Dear passengers, our flight is delayed for a few minutes, as Angela Merkel's plane is stuck in one of our engines,” users snapped in the comments.

Authorities in Germany are investigating the circumstances of the incident, during which a half-naked man, under the influence of drugs, managed to get on board an airliner, which is used by Chancellor Angela Merkel, and made a row in it.

The suspect, a 24-year-old man, dressed only in underpants, entered the cockpit, began to press all buttons, activated the emergency ladder and sprayed foam from a fire extinguisher on the seats in the cabin.

The police tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to leave the plane by speaking to him through a megaphone.

On the ground near the plane was found a bag with the documents of the suspect, as well as, according to some sources, with drugs.

He was reported by the Berlin newspaper Welt am Sonntag, which obtained police reports relating to the incident.

The raging intruder managed to calm down only with the help of a police dog, which bit him in the leg. The police said that a detainee named Volkan T. was sent to a psychiatric hospital. He is a bodybuilder of Turkish descent and has never been a police officer before.

The newspaper reported that the police report on the incident indicated defects in the security system of the government airfield and errors made by airport and air force officials.

The incident began with a local resident who, according to the newspaper, experienced a personal drama, entered the military zone of the Cologne-Bonn airport. With him he had a plastic bag full of marijuana and ecstasy pills.

He managed to get through the barrier, telling the guard that he had rented the officers' dining room for a wedding banquet and for this he needed to inspect the premises again.

Then he climbed over the barbed wire fence to the runway of the military airfield, and the surveillance cameras did not record this.

Noticing a government plane, one of the two A-319 airbuses that the German Air Force has for the needs of the country's leadership, he climbed onto its wing, stripped down to his underpants and began to dance.

After that, he managed to open the emergency exit in the aircraft fuselage and go inside.

The door to the cockpit was opened, and the suspect began to press all buttons and keys in a row, eventually triggering the alarm.

The plane was completely filled with fuel and, according to the newspaper, could fly to Beijing, if the intruder knew how to fly it.

It took the police three more hours to cope with the situation, and during this time the detainee managed to inflict damage in the total amount of 100 thousand euros.

Chancellor Merkel uses this airliner on her foreign travels. It is equipped with a study with two soft chairs and a couch, a meeting room and 32 armchairs for delegates. The aircraft interior is decorated in cream and beige colors.

To date, the aircraft has undergone repairs and entered service.

During this incident, Chancellor Angela Merkel was in Bavaria for the Bayreuth Music Festival, attending the opera The Flying Dutchman.