Tomovski: A new government plane will remain on my agenda while I lead the service

Ivica Tomovski says a new government aircraft is necessary and remains on the agenda while he leads the service.

Ivica Tomovski, director of the Service for General and Common Affairs (SGCA) of the Government of North Macedonia, defended plans for a replacement government plane and outlined why he considers it indispensable for the state’s functioning and occasional emergency use.

Age, costs and emergency flights

Tomovski told television viewers that the current government aircraft dates from 2004, has only six seats and has required heavy maintenance: “for only two years, around two million euros were spent on servicing the current government plane,” he said, adding that original spare parts are no longer available and repairs sometimes take weeks. He argued this undercuts the aircraft’s readiness and limits its usefulness.

He also stressed that the plane is not reserved solely for the government’s routine travel: translated into practical terms, the aircraft has been used in recent weeks for medical transports. “I will speak about a new government plane as long as I head this service. If we want to be a serious state, we must have a government plane, we must have an appropriate vehicle fleet. That represents the state. But that government aircraft is not always used only for the needs of the Government… We used that aircraft also in cases, like in the last 15 days, twice for medical reasons, for the child who was injured in Bodrum and yesterday, for the transport of a child from Ohrid to Berlin, together with medical personnel,” Tomovski said, noting the service’s satisfaction at helping save lives.

Responding to public allegations about misuse, Tomovski acknowledged there have been accusations but declined to adjudicate them himself: “let us leave it to the prosecution to pronounce itself,” he said. He insisted the plane is operated only for official purposes and that flights are documented and carried out on the basis of institutional requests.

Tomovski outlined who may use the aircraft: the prime minister, the president and the speaker of parliament. He said the SGCA covers costs when those offices request flights, while other ministries and institutions that request the aircraft make payments to the service to cover expenses, sometimes leaving a surplus.

On the wider topic of official vehicles with red licence plates, Tomovski encouraged citizens to report suspected abuses—not only via the official email, but also on what he called the “wall of shame.” He recalled that one year earlier, at the request of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, he had introduced coloured licence plates nationwide to make misuse easier to spot, and said the last election cycle produced no reports of potential abuse. He also said disciplinary procedures are under way in several cases identified within the service.

Tomovski gave brief updates on other logistics issues: the former Komercijalna Banka building had an original occupancy deadline of June 20 and an annex until August 10; he expects institutions to start moving in within a month and said commissions are inspecting the finished or near-complete object. He also said additional electric buses will enable more routes to the Macedonian Village complex, especially during the summer season.

Photo: press material from the event