In the recent uproar over the travel expenses of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s chartered flight to the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Natreeya Thaweewong, the PM’s deputy secretary, came forward with clarifications. The trip, held between Sept 18-24, reportedly cost a staggering 30-million-baht, raising eyebrows and leading to calls for investigation by political activist, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn.
The PM’s travel involved chartering a Thai Airways International (THAI) flight, which flew from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the Big Apple with a layover in Tokyo. In Responding to these inquiries, Ms. Natreeya, who organized the travel details, explained that an e-bidding process was in place to ensure a fair price.
Initially, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) had proposed 32 million baht for a charter flight service, whereas Thai Airways had asked for 25 million. However, the final cost with Thai Airways rose to 30 million baht owing to an increase in fuel prices, suggesting that the RTAF’s proposal would have possibly soared to 40 million baht, she stressed.
Breaking down the travel expenses, it was stated that 4.84 million baht went towards aircraft-related costs, 16.8 million baht for fuel, 1.47 million baht to caters his food and beverages, 3.06 million for ground services, and 3.8 million to cover operational costs.
Moreover, Ms. Natreeya assured that around 50 other passengers who accompanied the Premier on the aircraft, including his daughter, had taken care of their own tickets and accommodation expenses. Similarly, the private sector delegates attending the assembly arranged for their travel themselves.
The government’s choice of a charter flight, as per her statement, was to ensure that regular passengers on commercial flights were not disturbed. An insider also disclosed that the THAI flight was only equipped with business-class seats for Mr. Srettha and his party.
This clarification provides a fair insight into the expense breakdown and justification for the charter flight’s cost. It also brings into focus the procedures and precautions observed by those in the highest rungs of governance when representing the nation on a global platform.
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