The presidential plane carrying President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to an event in South Cotabato on Wednesday, June 14, encountered “minor technical issue,” prompting the Philippine Air Force (PAF) to temporarily suspend its flight operation.
Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, PAF spokesperson, said the Gulfstream G280 command and control aircraft that flew on Wednesday morning with Marcos onboard had to return to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City a few minutes after takeoff “due to a minor technical issue on the aircraft's flaps operations.”
An aircraft’s flaps are used during approaches and landings to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing.
“It is nothing serious, but since the PAF maintains the highest standards of flight safety, the pilots decided to do a precautionary return to base and have the aircraft thoroughly checked,” Castillo said.
Fortunately, Castillo said there was a backup C295 transport aircraft that was available which was used to fly Marcos to his destination.
“The presidential movement was resumed immediately,” Castillo noted.
Marcos was scheduled to attend the [launching of the South Cotabato Consolidated Rice Production and Mechanization Program](https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/14/marcos-encounters-aircraft-problems-going-to-south-cotabato?fbclid=IwAR1G-LhrBMaHD9tqvYt5CItOTwtnJP5mSlT8fDN9M4LemGWFlRY2Z6UXGao) at 9 a.m. in Banga, South Cotabato but he arrived three hours late due to a technical issue on his flight.
The Gulfstream G280 was acquired by the Department of National Defense (DND) for P2 billion from Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, an American aircraft company, on Sept. 21, 2020 primarily to transport the Commander in Chief, senior military leaders, and other commanders.
Aside from command and control operations, the aircraft can also be used for airborne warning system, medical evacuation, high-altitude atmospheric research, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
The aircraft is also designed to allow top officials to conduct time-sensitive decisions while airborne "especially during operational exigencies and emergencies."