Almost €520,000 has been spent so far this year on private jet charters for overseas travel by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, and other senior officials, according to new figures released by the Department of Defence.
The department confirmed that 11 air taxis were hired between January and May 2024, including two for President Michael D Higgins. However, cost details were only disclosed for nine government-related trips, which averaged around €58,000 per journey.
The most expensive trip of the year took place in mid-February, when a private jet carried the Taoiseach and delegation from Baldonnel to Munich, then to Cork and back again. That journey, with nearly five hours of total flight time, cost the State just under €82,000.
In January, more than €78,000 was spent on a same-day round trip to Katowice, Poland, for the Taoiseach and five officials. The February travel schedule included three private flights for the Taoiseach, with combined costs exceeding €125,000. Destinations included Brussels, Paris, and again Brussels via Munich.
March was another busy month, with three separate trips taken by air taxi. These included travel to Liverpool and Brussels for €67,500; another Brussels trip with a Cork stopover costing €55,000; and a €40,500 journey to Paris for the Taoiseach and five officials.
In April, both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste travelled to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis. That flight — lasting over eight hours — came with a price tag of €71,797. A second air taxi was also hired for President Higgins, though details of that expense were withheld, as records relating to the President remain exempt from Freedom of Information laws.
A final disclosed journey took place in early May, when a jet flew the Taoiseach to Antwerp at a cost of nearly €39,000.
Separately, the Air Corps’ PC12 aircraft was used for eight ministerial trips this year. Seven of those were for Tánaiste Simon Harris to travel to European destinations such as Brussels, Luxembourg, and Munich. One flight was arranged for the Department of Enterprise in April.
The growing reliance on chartered jets follows the retirement of the Government’s ageing Learjet last year due to mechanical issues. A new Dassault Falcon 6X aircraft — costing €53 million — has been ordered, but is not expected to be operational until 2026.
As government travel spending draws scrutiny, particularly in the context of an upcoming election, calls for greater transparency and cost efficiency in official travel are likely to intensify.
