One is a feisty motor-mouth prone to unseemly strops, the other an earthy straight-talker whose no-nonsense manner has struck a popular chord. Should a luxury jet hire company get its way today, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and pop star Jennifer Lopez could soon have even more in common than a penchant for telling it like it is, writes Edward Power
Netjets, a pet project of flamboyant US billionaire Warren Buffett, hopes to persuade the Taoiseach to junk plans for two new Government jets and instead join a roster of clients including Hollywood A-listers such as Lopez and Arnold Schwarzenegger and golfer Tiger Woods.
Hiring rather than buying would save millions and make the Ahern administration the first government to join the growing ranks of celebrities to reject jet ownership as a gauche 1990s throwback, according to Netjets, which is rumoured to count Irish rock legends U2 and socialite Clodagh Keane as patrons.
Reluctant to provide details of its last gasp offer - deadline for tenders for the Government jet contract expires midday tomorrow - Netjets would only say the bid it will submit this morning is "highly competitive".
But officials poured cold water on the proposal, saying the Cabinet's decision to buy and operate two jets was irreversible. All that remains to be decided are the make and cost of the aircraft.
Netjets sells time-shares in its fleet of 500 planes; clients can book 50-900 hours of flying time a year (the current Government jet clocks up about 750 hours annually).
The company is keen to break into the European market and is trying to woo a number of governments who lack, or plan on replacing, private aircraft.
Meanwhile, the Government has been urged to choose two executive jets partly built by Shorts Brothers in Belfast, writes Mark Hennessy. The competition was initially seen as a battle between industry giants, Boeing and Airbus.
However, Bombardier is offering the Government two jets: a Learjet 45 and a Global 5000.
The two Bombardier aircraft have a list price of $50 million though the package to be put to the Department of Defence on Friday will include a service and maintenance agreement as well.
The two aircraft will be far cheaper to run than either the Boeing Business Jet, or its Airbus equivalent, Mr Michael Ryan, Shorts general manager, told The Irish Times yesterday.
