Twelve British officials used the prime minister’s government plane for sightseeing on the £50,000 trip.
The 1,100 km round trip was completed last Wednesday afternoon, August 31, and lasted 91 minutes aboard the Prime Minister’s Airbus A321.
The aircraft took off from Stansted at 13:30 before heading north and its flight path included views of the lake area and the resort town of Moffat on the border with Scotland, then the aircraft turned around and veered back, but thereafter caused a backlash. one said it was “a lot of fun”. Participants were served alcohol on board, according to The Sun, and employees were greeted on the red carpet upon arrival at the runway.
Labor Shadow Trade Minister Emily Thornberry said it would be “absolutely shameful at the best of times, but in the midst of the current crisis in the country, it is an indescribable shame.”
The government has since said the flight is part of a required maintenance, as the aircraft must be used within 45 days for legal and operational purposes. September 4 or face significant additional storage costs.” .
Some questioned whether this justified the flight time (91 minutes), with one aviation expert arguing that such routine test flights should take no more than 45 minutes.
The Airbus A321 is famous for being a replica of another official British government aircraft, the RAF Voyager, which bears the same Etihad emblem and “UK” lettering. It is relatively small compared to the prime minister’s main aircraft, while others in the government refer to it as a “small aircraft”.
This aircraft will be used next week to transport the new Prime Minister to Balmoral Castle, where he will be formally sworn in before Queen either Liz Terrace or Rishi Sunak.
Source: Mirror