German government jet stranded on the Seychelles

The German government jet, a Bombardier Global 5000, stranded on the Seychelles, won't be able to fly back to Germany until Friday. Spare parts for the repair, including a hydraulic pump, have already been flown in aboard a French A400M transport aircraft. According to the Defense Ministry, the return flight is now being delayed by outstanding overflight permits from other countries, which typically require some lead time.

Not a chancellor's vacation, but a training flight

The story drew attention after AfD lawmaker Malte Kaufmann posted a photo of the aircraft, speculating that the chancellor or a minister might secretly be on vacation in the Seychelles. The ministry pushed back: the crew had been on a so-called "Africa training" exercise, in which pilots practice handling uncontrolled airspace, older radio-beacon approach procedures, and special climatic conditions such as heat, high altitudes, and the intertropical convergence zone. The plan had been a long-haul flight along the equator across Africa — until the technical fault ended the trip on the Seychelles. Such training is considered important to prepare young crews for flights carrying the chancellor or federal president to these regions. However, Lufthansa Aviation Training confirmed on request that no such special Africa module exists in official civil aviation training requirements.

Left Party criticizes empty flights

Separately from the current incident, new figures show that in the first half of the year, the German Air Force's government flight unit flew nearly as often empty as it did with government officials on board — 305 out of a total of 613 legs without passengers. This is mainly because the aircraft are based in Cologne, while officials on business trips typically depart from Berlin. Left Party lawmaker Dietmar Bartsch called the ratio "an expensive nuisance." The complete relocation of the government flight unit to Berlin, originally planned for 2012, has now been pushed back to the second half of the 2030s due to a lack of infrastructure at Berlin's BER airport.

(Source: dpa) NOZ 20.08.2026