Spain's Sánchez uses official planes for NATO summit and daughter's graduation amid controversy

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to the NATO summit in Ankara using three separate official aircraft, one for himself and one each for Defense Minister Margarita Robles and Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. After the summit, Sánchez flew to London in an Airbus A310 to attend his daughter's graduation, while the ministers returned to Madrid in Falcon jets. The use of multiple planes has sparked criticism over cost and environmental impact.

The flights

Sánchez, Robles, and Albares each flew separately to Ankara on July 7-8. Sánchez used an Airbus A310 (capacity 80 passengers), while the ministers used smaller Dassault Falcon 900 jets. ABC reports that the three planes departed Torrejón Air Base within a 1 hour 45 minute window. After the summit, Sánchez continued to London in the Airbus, while Robles and Albares flew back to Madrid in their Falcons.

Cost and emissions

Estimates of the cost vary. El Confidencial calculates the total cost of the three outbound flights at €36,407, while El Español estimates €74,822 for both legs. ABC puts the cost of Sánchez's Ankara-London flight alone at over €14,000. Environmental impact is also disputed: El Confidencial reports over 70 tonnes of CO₂ for all flights, while El Español estimates 60 tonnes (46 for Sánchez's Airbus, 14 for the Falcons).

Reactions

Moncloa sources described the three-plane deployment as "standard procedure" Source: ABC. Critics question the justification for using large state aircraft for private travel, noting that Sánchez could have returned to Spain first Source: El Confidencial. The government did not respond to requests about Sánchez's official agenda in London Source: ABC.