Royal Australian Air Force VIP Transport A330

I was stuck, just like our PM, in the US and instead of chartering a commercial flight, I painted this livery onto an A330. Currently the A330 in the KC-30A configuration is used to transport the Australia Prime Minister over long distances. It usually appears in dark grey (version coming), although this version appears in traditional Squadron 34 colouring in beautiful 8K.

The callsign ASY630 (Aussie 6 3 0) is usually used when abroad, not Australian Air Force One.

Read more about this aircraft below:

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fleet of special purpose aircraft (colloquially known as the ‘VIP fleet’) has provided air travel to parliamentarians, official dignitaries and senior military officers for more than 75 years. It has also evolved significantly throughout this time, due to substantial advances in technology, as well as increasing requirements from both its passengers and the RAAF. From its operation as a specific RAAF squadron (No. 34) within the RAAF’s Air Mobility Group, the VIP fleet forms part of the RAAF’s suite of transport capabilities. However, given the high-profile nature of its passengers, the fleet has also been the subject of enduring political discussion and media interest. This paper examines the circumstances which led to its establishment and chronicles its subsequent journey through various acquisitions and the responses to them.

In June 2015 the federal government approved Defence’s acquisition of two additional former Qantas A330 aircraft, through Defence’s Project AIR 7403 Phase 3. Initially purchased in November 2015 for approximately US$60 million, the Government approved a total expenditure of $853 million to convert them into air-to-air refuellers. Subsequently, in February 2016 the Government further determined that one of the new aircraft should be upgraded with a ‘Government Transport and Communications’ (GTC) capability.

The first of these new KC–30A aircraft was delivered to 33 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley in September 2017, following its refuelling conversion at the Airbus facility at Getafe, Spain. The GTC installation, at a reported cost of $187.7 million, commenced in October 2017 at the Lufthansa Technik facility in Hamburg, Germany. In addition to the secure government communications capability, the fit-out reportedly incorporated accommodation, a meeting room and working area. Three quarters of the purchased ex-Qantas seating was retained and installed alongside two refurbished first-class seats sourced from a Lufthansa A330 aircraft.