Ghana’s presidential jet has suffered another setback after new technical faults were discovered during ongoing repair works in France.
The Falcon 900EX aircraft, which has been undergoing maintenance for several months, was initially grounded due to a corroded fuel tank.
Deputy Minister for Defence Brogya Genfi briefed Parliament on the latest developments, confirming that while the original issue has been fixed, other complications have prolonged the aircraft’s return.
According to Mr Genfi, “The reported corrosion spots detected within the aircraft’s fuel tanks, which affected the aircraft’s delivery date, have undergone extensive repairs. These corrosion issues in the fuel tanks have since been resolved.”
However, he explained that further inspections revealed new problems that caused additional delays.
“In the course of the inspection, fuel leakages were observed from the right-hand wing tank. Unfortunately, after successfully repairing the section of the wing that experienced the leakages, another challenge was encountered while reinstalling the lower panel beneath the wing,” he told Parliament.
The Deputy Minister said the situation required specialised intervention from the manufacturer.
“Following the difficulties encountered, Dassault Aviation invited the Falcon Wing original equipment manufacturer to the Dassault Falcon Services hangar to enable the OEM to conduct an on-site assessment of the right-hand wing lower panel and provide independent technical recommendations aimed at expediting the repair and reinstallation process,” he said.
Mr Genfi added that these repairs have now been completed.
“The repair from the OEM has been successfully carried out, and the right-hand wing repair has also been completed. Upon the completion of this rectification, the aircraft has to undergo a leak test of the fuel tanks, a third engine ground run, painting of the wing lower panel, and finally, an acceptance flight will be performed,” he explained.
He further clarified that the aircraft will only return to Ghana once all tests confirm its safety and airworthiness.
“The challenge had to do with the wing of the aircraft, and that’s why they had to engage the original equipment manufacturer to resolve it. The specific tests that will be run include the fuel tanks and a ground engine run. After that, the repaired wing will be painted. All of these have to be completed before the aircraft will return to Ghana,” he concluded.