{"id":42399,"date":"2026-09-02T07:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T07:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/42399\/"},"modified":"2026-09-02T07:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T07:36:12","slug":"presidential-jet-back-home-with-major-upgrades-after-year-long-overhaul-in-netherlands-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/42399\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential jet back home with major upgrades after year-long overhaul in Netherlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAF 308 flying over the Oosterschelde in Netherlands during a flight test on August 3, 2026\/ FOKKER SERVICES GROUP<\/p>\n

Kenya\u2019s
\npresidential jet, Harambee One, is back in the country after spending
\nnearly a year in the Netherlands undergoing extensive maintenance,
\ninterior refurbishment, and major technological upgrades.<\/p>\n

The Kenya Air Force
\nFokker 70 aircraft, registration KAF308, returned home last month
\nfollowing an extensive hangar visit undertaken by aviation
\nmaintenance specialists Fokker Services Group.<\/p>\n

Photos shared by
\nFokker Services Group captured the aircraft in the skies over the
\nOosterschelde in the Netherlands during a Customer Acceptance Flight
\nafter completion of the maintenance and upgrade programme.<\/p>\n

The aircraft, which
\nhas served as Kenya\u2019s Head of State jet for more than three
\ndecades, underwent deep maintenance alongside interior and systems
\nupgrades.<\/p>\n

One of the most
\nsignificant additions was the installation of the latest Gogo
\nBusiness Aviation FDX Satcom system, giving the aging aircraft
\nadvanced in-flight connectivity capabilities.<\/p>\n

KAF 308 flying over the Netherlands during a flight test on August 3, 2026\/ BEN ULLINGS<\/p>\n

Fokker Services
\nGroup confirmed the completion of the work in a statement shared on
\nits official social media page.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly this month
\nwe finished an extensive hangar visit of the Kenya Air Force KAF308
\nHead of State Fokker 70,\u201d the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother example
\nof a strong airframe that has been maintained exceptionally well over
\nthe last 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company said the
\nprogramme involved more than routine maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeep maintenance,
\ninterior and system upgrades, and even the newest Gogo Business
\nAviation FDX Satcom system installation,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Fokker Services
\nGroup also praised the Kenya Air Force team for maintaining the
\naircraft over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cKudos to the KAF
\nTeam for taking such good care of this Fokker 70 aircraft, in fact
\none of the last ones built and delivered. Looking forward to supporting
\nthe KAF Team for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aviation
\nphotographer Ben Ullings, whose photographs were shared by Fokker Services Group following the
\nCustomer Acceptance Flight, said he had an opportunity to accompany
\nthe aircraft as it approached and landed after a test flight.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly this
\nafternoon the same applied to a beautiful Fokker 70 of the Republic
\nof Kenya, which I could join early afternoon over the Oosterschelde at
\nthe end of a test flight,\u201d Ullings said in an August 3, post.<\/p>\n

He said air traffic
\ncontrollers at Woensdrecht made it possible for the Cessna 210
\naircraft he was aboard to accompany KAF308 during its approach and
\ntouchdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd thanks to
\nWoensdrecht ATC it was possible for the Cessna 210 to also accompany
\nKAF308 during approach and touchdown,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ullings said the
\nphotographs represented only a small selection from the flight.<\/p>\n

\u201cA small selection
\nis added here. There is a lot more on hold for near-future
\npublications,\u201d he said, thanking the Fokker 70 crew and aviation
\nteams involved in the flight.<\/p>\n

The installation of
\nthe FDX Satcom system is among the major upgrades undertaken on the
\naircraft.<\/p>\n

KAF 308 flying over the Netherlands during a flight test on August 3, 2026\/ BEN ULLINGS<\/p>\n

FDX is an advanced
\naircraft satellite communications technology designed to provide
\nhigh-speed internet and real-time connectivity while an aircraft is
\nin flight.<\/p>\n

The system uses Low
\nEarth Orbit satellites to maintain a reliable connection, allowing
\naircraft to send and receive large volumes of data simultaneously.<\/p>\n

Unlike conventional
\nsatellite communication systems, FDX, meaning Full Duplex, enables
\ntwo-way communication at the same time.<\/p>\n

This allows secure
\nvoice and video calls, live data transmission, internet access and
\ncommunication with ground-based operational centres.<\/p>\n

The technology is
\nparticularly valuable for government, military and VIP aircraft,
\nwhere continuous and secure communication can be critical during
\nflights.<\/p>\n

It can also support
\ncommand-and-control functions and ensure senior government officials
\nremain connected while travelling through regions with limited
\nconventional communication networks.<\/p>\n

Despite returning to
\nKenya, the aircraft has yet to undertake an international trip since
\nits arrival.<\/p>\n

Flight activity
\nindicates that KAF308 has instead been carrying out local operational
\nand test flights.<\/p>\n

Operating under the
\ncallsign FLOK100, the aircraft has made several domestic flights
\ninvolving Nairobi, Mombasa and Malindi between August 25 and
\nSeptember 1.<\/p>\n

President William
\nRuto has also yet to officially use the refurbished aircraft for
\neither an international trip or local presidential outing since its
\nreturn.<\/p>\n

The return of
\nHarambee One ends a nearly year-long absence that had forced the
\ngovernment to rely on alternative arrangements for some presidential
\ntravel.<\/p>\n

The aircraft has
\nbeen in service since the 1990s and has served several Kenyan
\npresidents, making it one of the most recognisable aircraft in the
\nKenya Air Force fleet.<\/p>\n

While the latest
\noverhaul and technology upgrades are expected to extend its
\noperational life, the return of KAF308 is also likely to revive
\ndebate over the long-term future of Kenya\u2019s ageing presidential
\naircraft.<\/p>\n

KAF 308 flying over the Netherlands during a flight test on August 3, 2026\/ BEN ULLINGS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KAF 308 flying over the Oosterschelde in Netherlands during a flight test on August 3, 2026\/ FOKKER SERVICES…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1699,26999,7597,21673,7630,6,27000,7631,7633,7635,7628,7632,7636,7629,7634,27001],"class_list":["post-42399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-netherlands","tag-aviation","tag-fokker","tag-jet","tag-kenya","tag-kenya-news","tag-netherlands","tag-presidential","tag-star","tag-star-news","tag-star-news-kenya","tag-star-newspaper","tag-star-newspaper-kenya","tag-the-star","tag-the-star-kenya","tag-the-star-newspaper","tag-ullings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}