S'pore leaders' class of air travel for official trips decided by seniority, flight duration: Chan Chun Sing

Guidelines are in place to govern the class of travel for Singapore political office holders and public officers when they fly overseas on official duty, said Minister for Defence and Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing.

These guidelines are designed to ensure that travel arrangements are appropriate, while making responsible use of public resources.

Chan shared this in a written answer to a Parliamentary question by the Workers' Party's Member of Parliament (MP) Fadli Fawzi on Aug. 5.

Fadli had asked what rules govern the use of premium cabin flights for political office holders and permanent secretaries while on official duty, and how these rules compare with those for senior private sector leaders.

He also questioned when the rules were last reviewed, and whether there is a need to review them.

Representing Singapore appropriately

In response, Chan said Singapore relies primarily on commercial flights, rather than dedicated government aircraft, for official overseas travel.

He explained that the guidelines on the class of travel of political office holders take into account several factors, including the seniority of the person travelling, the duration of the flight, as well as the purpose and requirements of the trip.

"The objective is to ensure that officials are able to perform their duties effectively upon arrival, and represent Singapore appropriately in their official engagements," he said.

The guidelines are reviewed periodically and updated when necessary to keep pace with changes in travel practices and operating needs.

They are also "broadly consistent" with prevailing practices for senior leaders in the private sector, Chan added.

No data collected

Fadli also asked asked for statistics on class of travel for flights taken by POHs on official duty in the current term of government.

Specifically, he asked about the total number of flights taken, and the average duration and cost of each flight.

Chan said agencies individually manage air travel for their political office holders and public officers, and the Public Service Division does not collect aggregate data on this.

"All ministries and agencies are expected to adhere to the established guidelines," he added.

Background

Travel arrangements of political office holders have made the news before.

As their overseas trips are public, variations in travel arrangements of political office holders from Singapore and other countries have been highlighted.

Other times, political office holders are known to post photos of themselves travelling overseas for work.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong has been taking selfies while seated on commercial planes.

Recently, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung posted a photo of his flight on the way to Tokyo for the 31st Nikkei Forum on Jun. 9.

Beyond political office holders, travel arrangements of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is the head of state, have also made the news as he was once seen on a budget Scoot flight.