{"id":18684,"date":"2026-11-10T20:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T01:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/?p=18684"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:44:32","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:44:32","slug":"panama-blocks-public-tracking-of-presidential-aircraft-hp-1a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expat-times.com\/panama\/politics-government\/panama-blocks-public-tracking-of-presidential-aircraft-hp-1a\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Blocks Public Tracking of Presidential Aircraft HP-1A"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Panamanian government has blocked public flight tracking<\/a> for its official presidential aircraft<\/a>, a move that leaves citizens unable to verify where the Legacy 600 jet<\/a> travels or who uses it. The presidential aircraft flies in secrecy<\/strong> after authorities requested that flight monitoring platforms<\/a> remove the plane’s data from public view, according to aviation tracking sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aircraft, bearing registration HP-1A, now shows a notice on flightaware.com indicating that public tracking is unavailable “at the request of its owner or operator.” The block took effect last month while President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino<\/a> was on an official tour of Asia<\/a>. No previous Panamanian administration had ever restricted monitoring of the 18-year-old jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Embraer
Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600, London Executive Aviation JP6974088 By Aktug Ates – Gallery page https:\/\/www.jetphotos.com\/photo\/6974088Photo https:\/\/cdn.jetphotos.com\/full\/1\/65174_1288548785.jpg, GFDL 1.2, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=29041019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Presidential Aircraft Flies in Secrecy After Years of Open Tracking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Legacy 600, manufactured by Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, was donated to Panama by Taiwan in 2010 at a cost of $22 million. The aircraft seats 13 passengers plus three crew members and has a range of approximately 6,019 kilometers. It entered service during Ricardo Martinelli’s presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the plane’s location and the tracking block, the Presidency responded only that the aircraft is “in maintenance” in the United States. Procurement records show that on October 16, the Civil Aviation Authority processed a $6,962 purchase for a fire suppression box from Silver Aviation. A broader maintenance contract with Embraer Aviation International, approved in July 2021, runs five years at a cost of $6.4 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"Ghetto<\/a>