The government of Axel Kicillof, amid the security crisis affecting the province of Buenos Aires, awarded a contract for USD 3,358,001 to modernize an executive jet from the official Buenos Aires fleet, an aircraft that has remained grounded for approximately a decade and whose refurbishment does not include the addition of a sanitary module.
This is a Cessna 550 Citation II, registration LV-WEJ, manufactured in 1993 and purchased new by the Province of Buenos Aires the following year. According to the documentation from the public tender, revealed by Clarín, the work was awarded to the temporary union formed by Redimec SA and Cielos SA.
The plane in which Kicillof will invest more than USD 3 million
The contract includes specialized services, spare parts, value enhancement tasks, and training courses. The pre-award committee stated that the controversial selected proposal was the lowest in value and technically met the requirements establishedby the provincial aeronautical areas.
The operation was processed administratively through the Provincial Ministry of Security, under which the Provincial Directorate of Official Aeronautics and Airport Planning currently operates. In addition to a general inspection of the aircraft, tasks on the engines, avionics, and internal systems, Kicillof contracted for a complete renewal of the interior, which includes upholstery, carpets, walls, windows, bathroom, carpentry, tables, bar, and the area designated for food and beverage preparation.
One of the points that raises questions is that the tender does not include a sanitary module nor does it establish that the plane will fulfill medical functions, despite the fact that it was originally acquired with equipment for that purpose. During the administration of Eduardo Duhalde, it was used for patient transfers, although it later became primarily used for flights of officials.
Currently, Kicillof uses a King Air B200, purchased used by the Province from the government of Chaco. The Citation II would offer greater luxuries: it can reach speeds of around 700 kilometers per hour, compared to the approximately 500 km/h of the aircraft currently in use, in addition to flying at higher altitudes and covering greater distances without stops.
Kicillof and Sergio Berni already had to backtrack on the acquisition of another plane in 2022
The decision again puts under scrutiny the spending of the Buenos Aires administration on official aircraft. In 2022, during Sergio Berni's tenure in Security, the Province was already embroiled in controversy over an attempt to acquire another executive plane for USD 7.19 million, an operation that was ultimately deactivated.
Now, while Kicillof's administration faces scrutiny over the state of provincial public accounts and demands greater resources from the Nation, more than USD 3.3 million will be allocated to recover a plane primarily intended for the executive transport of officials.
