Queen may get private jet to cut costs

London: Queen Elizabeth is to have her own £3-million private jet under revived plans to try to cut the rising royal family travel bill, The Daily Telegraph disclosed.

The plane would be for the exclusive use of the queen and members of the royal family and would not be shared with ministers.

Last year Prime Minister Gordon Brown cancelled on cost grounds plans for an Air Force One-style plane, similar to the one used by the US president, which would have been shared with the queen.

Buckingham Palace is considering plans for the queen to have her own flight because the two planes her family use from 32 Squadron at RAF Northolt are more than 20 years old and are too unreliable.

In the past year the royal family had to spend £193,000 chartering aircraft because the 32 Squadron planes had either broken down or were being used elsewhere.

Sir Alan Reid, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, and other senior officials at Buckingham Palace will examine the viability of buying or leasing a plane and make a decision next March.

A second-hand BAe 146, similar to the ones used by 32 Squadron, would cost around £3 million to buy before any internal alterations to ensure the queen travels in the style befitting a head of state. The Downing Street plane, which would have been much bigger, would have cost closer to £13 million.

Last year the royal family travelled 219,200 kilometres on 18 scheduled flights and there were a further 21 flights on charter aircraft. The travel bill rose to £6.5 million, up £2 million from three years ago.