Prime Minister Robert Abela has increased his use of a costly private jet for official travel. However, his office has not provided details regarding the high costs associated with using this luxury service or the names of officials, including family members, who accompany him on these typically short trips.

Information obtained from various Freedom of Information (FOI) requests reveals that since 2025, Abela has travelled overseas on a private jet approximately once a month. Between January 2024 and June 2025, Abela used a private plane for travel on 20 occasions.

In many instances, Abela and his unidentified entourage utilised a luxurious private plane to attend European Union meetings, primarily summits held in Brussels. He opted for this travel option even though daily flights were available between Malta and Brussels.

On several occasions, the Prime Minister utilised a private plane to attend meetings in other locations such as Oxfordshire in the UK, Budapest, Tirana, Maastricht, and Strasbourg. Each flight costs tens of thousands of euros per leg. Additionally, the Prime Minister made an official visit to Amman, Jordan, using the same private jet.

Sources at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) informed The Shift that Prime Minister Abela’s use of private planes has significantly increased compared to his predecessors. When asked to provide the costs associated with each flight—beyond the payments for the jet, which also include expenses for the staff accompanying the Prime Minister—the OPM declined to provide specific details. Additionally, the OPM refused to disclose the costs borne by the government for accommodation, transportation, subsistence allowances, and other expenses related to each trip.

The OPM stated that “commercial flights are always given priority. However, there are situations where, due to time constraints, inflexibility, and very tight schedules, a private jet may be used. The European Council covers all travel expenses related to its meetings, including the use of a private jet.”

OPM sources indicated that Abela frequently travels accompanied by numerous staff members, many of whom are not essential for these trips, leading to significantly increased costs.

An example of this is a trip the Prime Minister made to Strasbourg last June for the opening of Malta’s Presidency of the Council of Europe. In this case, Abela took along his personal photographer and filming crew to promote his visits abroad on social media, along with many other non-essential staff.

The travel expenses incurred by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) have increased significantly since Abela took office, with little focus on minimising costs.

In 2022, shortly after the election, Abela spent €150,000 on a week-long trip to New York, accompanied by his wife and daughter. He makes it a point to take his family to the Big Apple every year, while on an official visit to the United Nations, every September.

In 2024, during a visit to the Paris Olympics, taxpayers covered €11,000 for a two-night stay at the Le Dockhan Hotel, located next to the Arc de Triomphe.