CAIRO (Middle East Eye) – The Egyptian government is set to receive a new presidential jumbo jet at a cost of $500m, as the country struggles to generate foreign currency for imports and tackle inflation. Egypt has acquired a Boeing 747-8 aircraft, seen last week in Shannon in Ireland, where it was undergoing coating and painting work by International Aerospace Coatings (IAC). Simple Flying, an aviation news website, reported that the German airliner Lufthansa had sold one of its Boeing 747-8 passenger planes to an “unidentified customer” in 2020. Furthermore, it revealed this week that the 747-8 jet would become an Egyptian executive aircraft, taking SU-GGG registration, and that it will replace the 28-year-old presidential Airbus A340.