With BFMTV, François Bayrou responded this Monday, December 16 to criticism from France insoumise after his trip to Pau in FalconX de la République to chair the municipal council of the city of which he is mayor.
A 52 minute flight, 800 kg of fuel consumed. It was aboard a Dassault Falcon 7X that Prime Minister François Bayrou went to Pau this Monday, December 16 to chair the city’s municipal council, despite numerous criticisms from the opposition.
A choice which angered many left-wing elected officials. Firstly because of the context, and the remote participation of the Prime Minister in a crisis meeting on Mayotte, an archipelago swept by the Chido cycle this weekend. But also because of the cost of this trip, estimated at several thousand euros.
“Estimated cost for 2 hours of flight ≈ 12,000 euros, not counting the cost of security and the team that accompanies it,” deplores LFI deputy Sébastien Delogu, who points to the vote for aid to Mayotte by the Council municipal of Pau to the tune of 25,000 euros.
“It’s obviously easier than finding airliners”
“Bayrou will only attend ‘remotely’ the crisis meeting on Mayotte. The reason? He will be on a jet heading to the Pau municipal council, where he intends to remain mayor. The French people deserve better than an illegitimate part-time Prime Minister”, wrote for her part the rebellious vice-president of the National Assembly, Clémence Guetté.
“I never abuse state resources,” François Bayrou defends himself on BFMTV. “The ministers, prime ministers and presidents of the Republic are accompanied by security services (…) it is obviously easier than finding airliners,” continues the head of the future government.
This is not the first time that short air trips by ministers have attracted criticism.
In September 2023, Elisabeth Borne (then Prime Minister) and Gabriel Attal (then Minister of National Education) went to Rennes for the start of the school year. “Hypocrisy. When we are really aware of the climate catastrophe, we don’t take the plane when we can make the journey in 1h30 by train”, launched Cyrielle Chatelain, the boss of the environmentalist deputies on her X account.
The government regularly travels by plane, including for short distances, despite the ban on domestic flights in the event of a train alternative of less than 2h30. Among the arguments put forward: the security of ministers and a very constrained agenda.
