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fter several delays and with only a few months until he steps down, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono '€” who was recently rebuked for using state facilities while campaigning for his Democratic Party '€” will finally enjoy the nation'€™s first private presidential plane.

For more than nine years of his presidency, Yudhoyono and his extensive entourage have been flying on a jet leased from national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

The new presidential plane, a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ2), is set to be unveiled on Thursday morning during a welcoming ceremony for the aircraft at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta. The price of the luxury aircraft is tagged at US$91.21 million.

After the ceremony, the aircraft is set to become fully operational, serving the President on his official visits around the country and overseas. It may carry Yudhoyono for the first time on his visit to Myanmar in May, as he is slated to attend the 24th ASEAN Summit.

'€œProbably within a week at most [the President will be able to use the plane],'€ State Secretary Sudi Silalahi said on Tuesday at the Presidential Office. '€œWe need to secure the certification from the Defense Ministry first, before it is ready to be operated.'€

The new plane is a VVIP aircraft that has a main bedroom equipped with shower and toilet, a conference room and dining and living rooms. With a maximum capacity of 70 passengers, the aircraft can accommodate Yudhoyono and his entourage.

It was reported that the outfitting of the cabin interior cost $27 million, while its self-defense system cost $4.5 million. With five auxiliary fuel tanks, the aircraft can fly up to 12 hours non-stop.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha, however, declined to reveal the specifications of the plane, saying only that it '€œcame with some specifications that are designed for the President'€™s plane'€.

The plan to purchase the plane has come under frequent criticism since it was submitted to the House of Representatives in October 2009. The government has repeatedly defended the plan, saying that buying an aircraft is less costly than renting one every time the President travels.

Back in 2010, the plan raised eyebrows as it was made following the procurement of luxury cars for high-ranking officials and a Rp 22 billion ($1.9 million) renovation of the Presidential Palace.

In early 2012, further concerns were raised when the total funding needed to purchase the aircraft was revealed to be 36.4 percent higher than the $58.6 million earmarked for the project in early 2011.

At that time, State Secretary Lambock V. Nahattands stated the 2011 initial amount was actually only for a '€œgreen'€ aircraft, a plane without furnishings, saying that people had the wrong perception of the purchase as the government had not explained the total cost of $91.21 million properly.

The $58.6 million for the unfurnished BBJ2 was paid by the Indonesian government in three annual installments starting from 2010. The government completed the third installment of $36.9 million in January 2012, and the aircraft was handed-over at Boeing'€™s base in Seattle, in the US.

Several delays have occurred since 2010, but without the details being made public. In early 2012, the government said the BBJ2 was expected to be ready by August 2013, pending the completion of work to its cabin interior and its self-defense system, while in July 2013, it said that it would be ready to serve presidential travels by December 2013.