The government VIP jet tracked travelling across three continents last week used jet fuel worth close to half a million ringgit, PKR’s Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung estimates .
 
Instead of paying for the 64,232.36 gallons of fuel used, the PKR Youth information bureau chief said, the money could have gone to buying close to 200,000 cans of sardine for flood victims. 
 
"With the price of the international jet fuel at RM7.68 per gallon, the mystery passenger had used jet fuel worth RM493,304," Lee ( right ) said in a statement today.
 
This does not take into account the costs of paying the pilots, landing and parking costs, aircraft storage costs, ramp service and maintenance costs, he said.

Lee estimated the fuel costs using website fuelplanner.com , which allows users to simulate a flight path and estimate fuel costs according to the aircraft.

 

The Airbus A319CJ carried Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his family to Hawaii for a holiday on Dec 20, but Najib returned alone on a commercial flight on Dec 27 due to worsening floods at home.
 
The jet was later tracked landing in airports in the United States, Europe and Asia.

 

Lee said that based on a wholesale price of RM2 for one kilogramme of rice, RM493,304 can be used to buy 247 tonnes of rice that could be distributed to flood victims.
 
The same amount could for 197,760 cans of sardine at RM2.50 a can. 
 
After a round-the-world trip, the government VIP jet that took Najib to his golfing trip with US President Barack Obama finally returned to the country last night.

Friends of BN: Stops not for shopping

 
The aircraft bearing the registration number 9M-NAA landed at the KL International Airport at 10.20 last night, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24, after being in Bangkok's Don Mueang International Airport since Friday.
 
The VIP jet had left Subang Airport for Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec 20 last month, where Najib spent his holiday with his family and played golf with Obama.
 
The Airbus flew without Najib to Los Angeles, Indianapolis, back to Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai, and finally to Bangkok.

 

Most of these stops lasted no more than a few hours, except for the stop in Indianapolis, which lasted six days from Dec 26 until Dec 31.
 
The short stops were also highlighted by the Facebook page ‘Friends of BN’ which said this meant the plane was not used to stop at these cities so the mystery passenger could shop.
 
In response, Lee said the Facebook page should stop trying to be the PM’s spokesperson.
 
Earlier, the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement to veteran journalist A Kadir Jasin said the flight had stopped at Indianapolis due to a technical glitch and Najib’s family was not on the plane. 
 
The statement does not explain why the jet criss-crossed several countries before landing at KLIA last night.

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