Filenews 2 September 2022
In a special ceremony held today at noon, at the Elefsina Air Base, the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, received from the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, an aircraft of the Hellenic Republic that is a donation to the Republic of Cyprus.
Receiving the aircraft, after the internal inspection carried out by the President and the Prime Minister, President Anastasiades said, among other things, that "this is a generous contribution to the needs of the Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus is an isolated island, we do not have the connectivity that Greece has, it was a problem for the President and the Government in general and this important donation of the Greek Government gives other dimensions to his time President and Ministers or in emergencies for humanitarian reasons.
I feel the need to express my warmest thanks for the decision of the Greek Government in the climate of solidarity and mutual solidarity that distinguishes our relations, this important donation will contribute greatly to the better functioning of the state".
On his part, the Prime Minister of Greece said that "I am very pleased that we are able to make this gesture of solidarity with Cyprus, which has always stood by our country when we were recently tested in major natural disasters.
I would like to thank you once again for your very generous donation concerning the area of Mati, a natural disaster that so hurt us and shocked Hellenism. We will see you soon at the foundation of the new housing that will meet the needs of our fellow citizens who lost their home on that horrible night.
We are able today to offer this aircraft to the Republic of Cyprus and in addition to the obvious service of the President, the government officials. The President of Cyprus will be able to travel on a plane bearing the name of the Republic of Cyprus, the Cypriot and European flags on it, this is also a sign of the prestige of the Republic of Cyprus and we are pleased to be able, in the context of our own modernization of the fleet of government aircraft, to proceed with this action. Well done. There is a heavy schedule of the President in the coming months before the end of his term of office so I am sure he will catch on."
He also thanked the Armed Forces of Greece for providing the necessary support until the training of the crews, the Hellenic Defence Industry (HAI) and all those who contributed to this move, adding that the aircraft has new tanks for a larger fuel capacity.
Finally, President Anastasiades expressed grateful thanks to all those who contributed "to the realization of the wish of the Greek Government" for the donation of the aircraft to Cyprus.
Then, the President of the Republic and his entourage boarded the aircraft for return to Cyprus.
The President of the Republic was accompanied by the Minister of Defense Mr. Charalambos Petrides, the Government Spokesman Mr. Marios Pelekanos, the Deputy Minister to the President Mr. Petros Demetriou, the Chief of the National Guard Mr. Demokritos Zervakis, the Director of the Office of the President Mr. Pantelis Pantelidis and officials.
The features
The aircraft is of type EMBRAER EMB-135BJ LEGACY, with the capacity to carry up to 14 passengers, a crew of five people (captain – co-pilot – safety pilot – air caregiver – technician), and engines 2 turbofan ROLLS ROYCE, type BR700-710A1-10, thrust 2×14700 lb, wingspan: 21.17 m, length: 26.33 m, roof: 39000 ft and maximum speed: 0.8 Mach.
