I’m wondering if anyone knows why governmental aircraft always seem to go to multiple places when visiting a country in a short time span. It would make sense if the vip person was moving between cities, but that isn’t always the case.
For example, during UN week here in New York, when you drive to JFK, you see a ton of governmental planes from a lot of countries. After some time, they fly up to SWF; an airport used by commercial and USAF aircraft, just north of New York City. Then, they fly back to jfk, sometimes head back, or to IAD. I also saw a Russian IL-96 land into JFK from Moscow, fly to IAD, and then fly back to JFK. Maybe a meeting there? Not sure. I assume (most likely with the SWF case) this is for parking reasons? Maybe JFK de-icing area needs to be cleared? Does anyone have an answer? Thanks!
My guess is that it’s abut parking space/fees. It’s definitely more expensive to park at JFK than it is at SWF. There’s also the security aspect - JFK is much, much busier then SWF, and the more people you have around the thing you’re trying to keep secure (like a plane), the harder it is.
Good response… the reason so many people notice these planes is because they’re parked right next to the highway when you enter the airport, so makes sense. Thanks!
Repositioning aircraft to Stewart (KSWF) would be for parking - Like JFK, Stewart is operated by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ).
Flights to IAD (Washington Dulles) would likely be for meetings at their Washington, DC, embassy – or other business/political interests in Washington DC. Such flights could also be used for secure transfer of documents/goods to/from their DC Embassy.
When I first saw the subject “Question About Governmental Aircraft”, prior opening the thread I was thinking it might be about JPATS or US government aircraft abroad (which is generally kept quiet).
JPATS is the only government-operated, regularly-scheduled passenger airline in the the United States. Like Southwest Airlines, JPATS is an all-Boeing 737 operator with a primary hub in Oklahoma City where passengers catch connecting flights to over 40 destinations. Maximum one-way fare is $4,210.
Airline: JPATS ICAO Code: DOJ Callsign: Justice HUB: KOKC (Oklahoma City-Will Rogers International) and KMCI (Kansas City Intl) Fleet: Boeing 737-400 (x3) Boeing 737-800 (x1)
JPATS is short for Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System - better known as Con Air.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find JPATS in Infinite Flight’s airline list. However, you may check out – and even operate flights from their Best in Class hub at Oklahoma City-Will Rogers Intl Airport (KOKC).
