A government spokesman yesterday defended the Taoiseach's decision to fly first class to South Africa on a commercial airline with his partner and six officials. The Government jet made the same journey with four empty passenger seats.
The spokesman said the flight would have taken 15 hours using the Government's $25 million Gulfstream jet, compared to 10 on the South African Airlines service.
The commercial flight offered Mr Ahern comfort unmatched on the Government jet over such a long journey. The commercial flight also enabled him to rest overnight before starting his visit to South Africa and Lesotho.
He said weekend reports that first-class seats on the flight cost £3,100 sterling were inaccurate, and the flights were less expensive. However, he was unable to say how much the tickets cost.
The Gulfstream jet has a capacity to carry 14 passengers and four crew. However, a Defence Forces spokesman said it only carried eight or nine passengers during long flights as conditions would be too cramped.
Five officials flew on the jet and another six on the airline.
The jet left Dublin on Saturday and had to stop three times to refuel en route. The crew took an extended rest during a stop in Ghana to comply with international aviation rules which require such a rest or a change of crew after 10 hours' flying.
The Government spokesman said the jet was required for three internal flights during the Taoiseach's visit. He did not understand the media's fascination with the decision to bring the jet while also flying officials. When Mr John Bruton was Taoiseach he also used commercial airlines to fly to Japan for the European-Asian summit.
He said the Government jet was suitable for European flights, but there were question marks over its value for longer flights. "Perhaps there is an argument that it should be changed for a bigger one which would be comfortable for long-haul flights," he said.