It is false that Lula bought a new presidential plane – 06/22/2023 – Politics

It is not true that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) bought a plane for presidential use for 400 million, in whatever currency, contrary to what the viral post says.

According to reports, the president wants to change the Aerolula, nickname of the official plane of the Presidency of the Republic, which began to be used in 2005, during his first term. The model of the new aircraft has not yet been chosen nor has the purchase been made. He would have determined that the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) would present options for larger aircraft with more autonomy than the current one.

The uninformative post, as verified by Projeto Comprova, shows three photos of interior aircraft cabins. The first of them, of a living room, is the same image used in a 2012 report by IstoÉ about the FAB having resumed studies for the purchase of an airplane. The text informs that “the model under evaluation costs R$ 400 million”.

The image in the living room, however, is of the luxury plane that belonged to Tunisia, used by then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In 2016, according to a report by the BBC, the aircraft was sold to Turkish Airlines for US$ 78 million, after having been parked for five years in Bordeaux, France.

Asked whether the photos show an aircraft purchased for the Presidency of the Republic, the FAB replied that they did not, and that the plane used to “safely transport the president to various locations in Brazil and abroad” is the Airbus 319 VC-1, i.e. , the Aerolula.

The video also features two other internal images of aircraft. The second is a luxury suite that is actually part of a Boeing 747-8 VIP, whose estimated value in 2017 was BRL 1.8 billion. The aircraft had been refurbished by the company Greenpoint Technologies and delivered to a buyer whose identity was kept confidential.

About the last image, the man who appears in the video says that a bar could not be missing on the plane. The bar shown, however, is from Emirates Airlines aircraft and the photo is part of the airline advertising. The external images of the Brazilian presidential plane are released by the FAB.

False, for Comprova, is content that was invented or that has been edited to change its original meaning and deliberately disseminated to spread a falsehood.

Reach

Comprova investigates suspicious content with greater reach on social networks. The post verified here had 9.3k views, 7.7k likes and 1.3k comments as of June 22nd.

How do we check

Comprova researched news about the purchase or intention of acquisition by the federal government, in the current administration, of a new airplane for the Presidency of the Republic. It also analyzed the images shown by the video verified here using Google Lens, in order to identify the origin of the photos and the veracity of the content presented.

There was also contact with the Ministry of Defence, the FAB and with the press office of the Presidency of the Republic to verify the status of the presidential plane and the process of purchasing a new aircraft. Finally, we contact the author of the post.

Since 2005

The aircraft used by Lula, as reported above, began to be used in 2005, in his first term. It replaced the Boeing 707, purchased from Varig in 1986 and nicknamed Sucatão.

The model, as informed by the FAB to Comprova, is based on the civil version of the Airbus 319 and is approximately 34 meters in length and wingspan and around 12 meters in height. Also according to the agency, it can reach up to 830 kilometers per hour at maximum cruising speed and fly up to 8,500 kilometers.

According to O Globo, the aircraft has a suite and shower, a reserved space with two tables and eight chairs and “is approaching the half of its life cycle, which will require going through a redesign process”.

But this is not the first time that a president thinks about changing the plane, officially named Santos Dumont. In November 2010, during the government of Dilma Rousseff (PT), the Sheet reported that the FAB was negotiating a plane. “The Aerodilma, if it is acquired even with the government’s cost containment scenario, should be a European Airbus aircraft — an A330-MRTT air refueling model, equipped with a presidential VIP area and normal seats”, published the newspaper. The purchase, however, was not carried out and Dilma continued using Aerolula.

In July 2017, then-president Michel Temer (MDB) chose to travel to Germany on a Boeing 767-300ER rented by the FAB —with more autonomy, he would not need to make the stopover required by the Airbus 319. At the time, the federal government decided that the Boeing would be used for trips that required two or more stopovers, but, just over a month later, Temer flew to China on the Airbus 319.

When president, Jair Bolsonaro (PL) also used the Aerolula, but in 2022, the FAB bought two Airbus 330-200, known as the KC-30, from the Azul airline. Lula flew in the A 330-200 in February, on the Brasilia-Rio and Washington route. The model is one of the FAB’s options for Lula’s request to replace Santos Dumont.

What the person responsible for the publication says

The report tried to contact the author of the post, but there was no response until the publication of this text.

What can we learn from this check

“I wanted you to share this video as much as possible.” “Share there until your finger drops.” When video creators make appealing requests like the ones in the verified post here, be wary. It is common for misinformers to insist that their followers republish their content, causing misinformation to spread. So, when you come across publications like this, be suspicious and look for what is being said in the professional press.

The same suggestion applies when viewing content that mentions large government spending. In the video, the author says that Lula spent 400 million to buy a new plane. It is an expense that would draw the attention of the press and, if it were true, such information would have been published by the media.

why do we investigate

Comprova monitors suspicious content published on social networks and messaging apps about public policies and elections at the federal level and opens investigations for those publications that have achieved greater reach and engagement. You can also suggest checks via WhatsApp +55 11 97045-4984. Suggestions and questions related to questionable content can also be sent to Sheet via WhatsApp 11 99486-0293.

Other checks on the topic

Lula’s relationship with aircraft was the object of disinformation previously checked, as in the 2022 election campaign. In September of that year, the then candidate was the subject of a video in which he claimed that he had rented the most expensive plane in the world to travel to the Northeast , which was checked as false by Comprova. In 2018, the Sheet denied that Lulinha, the president’s son, owned an aircraft valued at US$50 million.