Cotam 001

Current French presidential aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 (F-RARF).

Cotam Unité is the official air traffic control call sign of any French Air Force aircraft carrying the President of France. From the 1960s to 1994, COTAM was the acronym for the French Air Force's Military Air Transport Command. In November 2010, the Governmental transport squadron (ETEC 65) received a newly refurbished Airbus A330 ordered by the government to be used as the presidential (or prime ministerial) aircraft replacing 2 Airbus 319. ETEC 65 also has the following aircraft for VIP transport:

• 2 Falcon 7X^[1]
• 2 Falcon 900 (to be retired),
• 4 Falcon 50,
• 7 TBM 700,
• 3 Super Puma helicopters.

In addition to the ETEC 65 operated Aircraft, Esterel Transport squadron also provides VIP transport using the following aircraft:

• 3 Airbus A310-300
• 2 Airbus A340-200

References

1. "Le nouvel avion de Nicolas Sarkozy" par jean Guisnel, Le Point.