Brazilian Air Force One Brazilian Air Force One is the Brazilian Air Force call sign of the aircraft carrying the President of Brazil . On international flights the aircraft uses the Brazilian Air Force ICAO code BRS01 and callsign Brazilian Air Force 01 . The Special Transport Group ( GTE ) is the unit of the Brazilian Air Force responsible for transporting the President , Vice - President and other senior government officials . Main aircraft ( VC - 1A ) . The main presidential aircraft currently used to transport the President of Brazil is a modified version of the Airbus A319 , with tail number 2101 . It was designated by the Brazilian Air Force as VC - 1A , and officially christened as the " Santos - Dumont " , after the Brazilian aviation pioneer . It is used to transport the President on all medium and long - range international flights . This aircraft has received the tongue - in - cheek knickname of " Air Force 51 " , in allusion to former president Lula ' s taste for that brand of the Brazilian sugar - cane brandy ( cachaça ) . Cabin configuration and security . The VC - 1A differs from standard A319 in features and security configuration . The cabin is divided into three separate sections . The first section ( near the cockpit ) is the presidential area of the aircraft , configured with a private office , a presidential suite , a meeting room and a security office . The middle section is configured with first - class seats reserved for authorities and senior staff . The rear section is configured with 20 business - class seats reserved for journalists and other passengers . The aircraft is also equipped with an Intensive Care Unit , three galleys and satellite communications . The aircraft was designed to serve as an airborne command post , allowing the president to fully conduct his duties from the air in the event of political instability or armed conflict . For that purpose , the plane is equipped with a number of military defense capabilities , such as anti - aircraft missile countermeasures and a Radar Warning Receiver . To guarantee the protection of classified and sensitive information , the aircraft is linked with the " SISCOMIS " ( Brazilian Military Communications Satellite ) which can be used to transfer data , image and voice between the aircraft and Brasília . Secondary aircraft ( VC - 2 ) . Two modified Embraer 190 jets , Air Force designation VC - 2 , christened as " Bartolomeu de Gusmão " and " Augusto Severo " , are used for presidential travel within Brazil and South America . The Brazilian Air Force purchased the aircraft on 2 June 2008 to replace the two Boeing 737 - 2N3 ( VC - 96 ) that were previously used for short - range presidential transport . Comfort , safety , performance and technology were the priorities for choosing the new Embraer jets . The aircraft is configured with special communications systems , a private presidential office and a meeting room . It has the capacity for carrying 40 passengers with a range of over 2 , 500 miles . Other aircraft . Along with the VC - 1A and the VC - 2s , 19 other aircraft are part of the fleet : The VIP fleet is stationed at Brasília Air Force Base ( BABR ) . Former aircraft . Former aircraft used exclusively for transporting the President of Brazil : Possible Replacement of the Main Presidential Aircraft . On July 2012 anonymous sources leaked that Brazilian President , Dilma Rousseff , authorized Brazilian Air Force to talk with Boeing about the purchase of a B - 747 widebody , similar to US Air Force One , as replacement for the A - 319 as main Presidential Aircraft . Among the reasons for this early replacement of a still relatively young aircraft is the limited range of the present plane , which does not allow direct flights from Brasília to countries such as India and China , as well as recent mechanical problems of present aircraft .