Summary
- Argentina’s President Javier Milei sets an example by flying commercially once more for official visits, saving taxpayers’ money and reducing carbon emissions.
- Milei previously flew commercially to the World Economic Forum, surprising fellow passengers on his Lufthansa flight and saving $392,000 in travel costs.
- Private air travel is facing scrutiny for its environmental impact, with many celebrities and even politicians receiving criticism for his or her mode of travel in recent times.
Official visits from state heads often conjure images of luxurious private jets funded by taxpayers’ money, allowing them to flee the time-bound scheduled industrial flights. Nonetheless, Argentina’s President Javier Milei is among the many few world politicians who set examples by traveling commercially on his official tours.
Javier Milei flies ITA Airways
The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, is once more within the news as much for his visit to Israel and Italy as for his mode of transport. But on this case, as an alternative of drawing the wrath of environmental activists, he’s being praised for once more flying commercially for an official visit.
Milei was seen traveling on an ITA Airways flight AZ 681 from Buenos Aires (EZE) to Rome (FCO) on an Airbus A350 aircraft. The flight travels from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern and takes greater than 12 hours to finish.
As such, Milei saved not only hundreds of dollars of taxpayers’ money but in addition carbon emissions that might have resulted from a non-public flight on the identical route. The Argentine President is currently on a diplomatic trip to Israel and Italy, where he may even meet the pope.
Not the primary time
Milei’s alternative of air travel is just not all that surprising, considering he flew commercially for a vital world event just last month. The annual World Economic Forum meeting held in Davos sees a whole bunch of personal jets carrying VIPs from internationally.
While no person could have stopped Milei from selecting to fly private to the event, he as an alternative decided to hop on a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 aircraft on a connecting flight that took him from Buenos Aires (EZE) to Zurich (ZRH) via Frankfurt (FRA).
Naturally, the passengers on the flight were quite surprised by the special guest, and Milei even engaged with a few of his fellow travelers on the plane, allowing them to take selfies as he disembarked. The political claimed that his decision to travel commercially saved the country $392,000 in travel costs.
Not the sort to drag his punches, Milei is understood for his outspoken views and position on public spending. He is kind of against wasteful government expenditure, especially during economic strain.
Known for bringing about several austerity measures in his administration, Milei even decided to sell two aircraft operated by state-owned oil company YPF. He was critical of them getting used for what he claimed “political privileges.”
The politician has even proposed privatizing the national flag carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas, which has struggled to make profits. How this might change South American aviation has been discussed within the article below.
How Would The Proposed Privatization Of Aerolineas Argentinas Change South American Aviation?
The airline’s route network and fleet structure could change.
Private air travel under increased scrutiny
Private air travel is increasingly coming under the microscope for its cost to the environment and, within the case of politicians, to the overall taxpayers. Whether it’s pop stars jetting off in private planes and even the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and King Charles taking separate jets to an event in Dubai, environmental activists are quick to focus on the damage such flights can do when it comes to emissions.
Photo: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has even proposed banning private jets altogether in the long run to curb carbon emissions. Perhaps, Milei’s way of traveling will increasingly change into the norm fairly than an exception for politicians in the approaching years.
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