Official state aircraft

Official state aircraft are the aircraft used by governments around the world to transport their heads of state or heads of government in an official capacity. Most, but not all official state aircraft are specially modified airliners or business jets, which have the range and speed necessary to ferry national leaders during international state visits. Some nations also operate smaller regional airliners or helicopters for domestic travel. Such transports are typically operated by specific units of a nation's military, typically their air force, or loaned from the fleet of aircraft operated by a state's flag-carrying airline.

If exclusively operated by a nation for the purpose of transporting senior members of government and/or state, state aircraft may be fitted with protective countermeasures such as jamming equipment, anti-missile systems or flare & chaff launchers because of the high security risk involved with their passengers. It is also not uncommon to see them outfitted with special VIP amenities e.g. secure communications, conference rooms, partitioned work and living areas to allow national heads to undertake their duties whilst in transit.

As a result of their association with a nation's heads of state and/or heads of government, official state aircraft oftrn serve as a symbol of a nation and its national leaders, which is particularly emphasised by the unique liveries usually given to them by nations.