President Michael D Higgins has spent €36,000 on four Learjet flights in 2018

Michael D Higgins has spent a shocking €36,000 of taxpayers’ money flying around in the Government Learjet so far this year.

The President has chosen the luxury of the Learjet for such short hops as Kerry and Belfast, where any normal person would probably go by car or train.

He also chose to fly in the lap of Learjet luxury outside the State to London and Paris.

The wanton spending on the four trips hit the taxpayer for €35,910.

That’s the equivalent of the average industrial wage and would pay the salary of a fully qualified teacher, garda or nurse for a year.

If Michael D had opted to mix with the unwashed rest of us on normal flights (on a train to Belfast as there is no longer a flight from Dublin) he would only have racked up a bill of €266.98 for the four trips.

Presidential rival Gavin Duffy last night branded Michael D a “Learjet socialist” and he said it reveals Michael D’s “sense of entitlement.”

A spokesman for Mr Duffy said: “Throughout the campaign Gavin Duffy has placed centre stage the need for value for money in the operation of the Aras.

“Sadly it is no surprise to learn that the equivalent of the average industrial wage has been spent on flights.

“More disturbing is that the destinations are easily accessible from Ireland which would have meant massive savings on out of control spending.

“There is no doubt that excessive spending in the Aras has been the hallmark of this Presidency and there is an all pervading sense of entitlement attached to the Office.

“We have asked for the audited accounts and spending to be produced and we are fobbed off and told figures will be produced in November after the election.

“The spending on flights smacks of Learjet socialism – a spend that in another time a figure such as Michael D would have railed against.”

The President got slammed over his use of the Learjet on the RTE Prime Time debate on Tuesday night, the last one to feature all six candidates.

There was another televised debate on Virgin Media One (the new name for TV3) last night where all the other candidates debated again, but Mr Higgins refused to appear.

It was revealed during the RTE debate that Michael D has used the government jet on at least four occasions this year, going to Belfast, Kerry, London and Paris.

The total flying time for the eight flights involved in going by jet each way to the four locations would come to nine and a half hours.

The Defence Forces’ Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) calculates the cost of using the official government Learjet at €3,780 an hour.

This is calculated by adding the average fixed cost, for things like wear and tear and staff, with the average variable cost for direct bills like fuel and maintenance.

MATS then multiplies this average total cost by the number of hours the jet is in the air to get how much we are out of pocket for a minister or the president using the Learjet.

In this case the nine and a half hours for the four trips cost us punters just under €36,000.

The Irish Mirror costed flights to Kerry, London and Paris, along with train costs for Belfast because there are no flights anymore since the motorway opening made the route unprofitable.

The comfy Enterprise express train from Dublin to Belfast would cost just €19.99 each way for travel on Monday November 5th next.

If Michael D chose to go to Kerry the next day on November 6th, return flights with Aer Lingus, operated by Stobart Air would only cost €96 return.

The next day, Wednesday November 7, he could fly to London (Luton) for just €33 return with Ryanair according to prices available last night.

His final leg could see him going to Paris Beauvais from Dublin on Thursday November 8th for €98 return.

The total cost of these four trips would be just €266.98 compared to the €35,910 Michael D hit us for with his four trips by Learjet earlier this year.

Michael D might argue that he couldn’t possibly travel by train to Belfast because of his security requirements, but if Now York Mayor Mike Bloomberg can travel by Subway, there should be no reason why Michael D could not travel by rail too.

The Irish Mirror contacted the Office of the President and the President’s head of communications, Hans Zomer, for comment.

However, despite phone calls and emails to the Office, Mr Zomer did not respond to phone calls to his office or reply to emails.

Facts of the flights

• The Government jet costs €3,780 per 60 minutes of time in flight. The estimated cost to the taxpayer was €5,670 for the criticised 90 minute flight to Belfast.

• The Air Corps currently operate the Learjet 45 which entered service in 2004 and operates seven days a week.

• As well as transporting the president, the jet can also be used for national and international patient transfer services.

• The crew of the plane is made up of two pilots, one flight attendant and up to seven passengers.

• It can fly for four and a half hours and has a top speed of 1000km/h (Mach 0.81).

Comment by Pat Flanagan

A luxury government jet not only allows you to fly in style it also allows those on board to avoid the hassle of having to queue up at passport control and customs.

As well as being able to pick and choose his take off and landing time, flying in Aras Force One means Michael D can simply avoid all the hassle normally experienced by the public when they use an airport.

As well as being waited on hand and foot by the flight crew, the President would have been met on the tarmac by a waiting car and simply drive him off to whatever function was on his obviously hectic schedule.

Trust me, I know first hand how it works, for I travelled on the government jet for a week of engagements around the Balkans in 2007.

I accompanied the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern and, although we landed up to half-a-dozen times, I never saw the inside of an airport.

We flew to Sarajevo where Minister Ahern met Bosnian leaders as well as going to Srebrenica, the location of a genocide where over 8,000 men and boys were murdered in July 1995.

Prawn cocktail at 36,000ft was a new experience for me, as was being ushered off the plane into waiting limos without having to go near the airport terminal.

From there we were taken in a police convoy complete with flashing lights and wailing sirens straight through every traffic light on the way into the centre of Sarajevo.

It was the same story when we flew to the Serbian capital Belgrade and Pristina in Kosovo.

As Ireland held the EU Presidency at the time, the trip was deemed as essential as tensions were mounting in the formerly war-torn region and there were hundreds of Irish troops stationed in Kosovo as part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

It’s not surprising that Michael D has become accustomed to his mode of travel but in doing so his socialist credentials might also have taken flight.