'Imran Khan's copter expenses amount to Rs430m'
PTI chief flew for 1,579 VVIP mission hours on helicopter from 2019-22, according to official documents
December 16, 2022
- Ex-PM flew for total 1,579 VVIP mission hours from 2019 to 2022.
- PTI chief's 2019 copter expenses cost Rs130 million.
- From January to March 2022, chopper expenses cost Rs35.1m.
Helicopter expense details of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan were presented in the Senate by the Cabinet Division during a session Friday.
According to the Cabinet Division’s written reply submitted to the upper house of parliament, the expenses incurred on the former prime minister’s helicopter rides from January 2019 to March 2022 were more than Rs430 million. It stated that Khan completed 1,579 VVIP mission hours on the chopper during the said time.
The reply further mentioned that the VVIP copter flights in 2019, on which the former premier flew, cost over Rs130 million with 479 hours of VVIP flights.
In 2020, as per the written reply, the PTI chief took 522 hours of flights which incurred more than Rs140 million in expenses. While in 2021, the helicopter used by Khan consumed 450 hours of VVIP flights, the cost of which amounted to over Rs120 million.
Meanwhile, the chopper carrying the former prime minister was flown for 127 hours from January to March 2022, during which the flight expenses amounted to Rs35.1 million.
Flying hours and cost (January 2019-March 2022)
| S# | Period | VVIP Mission Hours | Expenditure as per hiring rate (Rs275,000 per hour) |
| 1 | Year-2019 | 479.8 | 131.94 m |
| 2 | Year-2020 | 522 | 143.55 m |
| 3 | Year-2021 | 450.2 | 123.8 m |
| 4 | Jan-Mar 2022 | 127.8 | 35.14 m |
| Total | 1579.8 | 434.43 m |
Earlier this month, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — after completing its probe into the illegal use of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s helicopters — revealed that those, who engaged the chopper for private use, owe Rs90 million to the provincial administration.
The development came in reaction to the usage of choppers used by Khan, former and current provincial and federal ministers, including others.
NAB also wrote to the KP government to recover the cost of all the illegal helicopter trips taken by "influential politicians, public officeholders" and others.
At least 2,000 people had travelled in state helicopters since 2008.
In November this year, KP prepared a draft to amend laws regarding the use of its helicopter and other matters in the province.
Following the amendment, no one will be able to question the chopper's use including who uses it and why is it being used.
