Government planes — at least some of them — appear likely to fly away for good once a new premier takes office this fall

Tory leadership candidate Jim Prentice — who formally entered the Progressive Conservative leadership race this week pledging to end entitlements — suggested Friday the government’s four-plane executive fleet may be scrapped.

Speaking to a Calgary Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Prentice said that he and his ministers would fly commercial unless no other option was available.

“I don’t know why the government of Alberta is running a service back and forth between our two major cities. We have airlines that do that. They’re good at it. That’s their business,” the former federal cabinet minister told reporters.

Prentice said once auditor general Merwan Saher finishes his current review of the government air fleet, the province should examine whether there are more cost-effective alternatives, such as private charters, for ministers to be able to get to remote areas.

Alberta’s Air Transportation Service operates three Beechcraft King Air planes and a 30-seat Dash-8. The 23-person air service, which includes 13 pilots, costs $4.6 million annually, plus another $2.3 million for parts and amortization.

Edmonton MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, who resigned as jobs minister this week to run for PC leader, said he too is waiting for Saher’s report and suggested the province likely needs only one executive aircraft at most.

“I personally see very little value in them,” he said in an interview. “I wouldn’t shed a tear if I saw them gone.”

Lukaszuk said that as a minister, he generally avoided using government aircraft, saying he usually flew commercial flights out of personal preference and because it afforded the opportunity to talk to the public.

All three opposition parties in the legislature have already called for the planes to be sold.

Calgary MLA Ric McIver, the former infrastructure minister also running for Tory leader, said his position on the planes will be “evidence-based” once the auditor general report is released.

“If it’s in the best interest of the taxpayers and saves them money to keep them or sell them, then that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

Tory members will vote this fall to select their new leader — and Alberta’s next premier.

Former premier Alison Redford’s controversial use of government aircraft, including a $15,000 flight to Ottawa to catch the prime minister’s flight to Nelson Mandela’s memorial in South Africa, triggered a storm of criticism that helped lead to her March 23 resignation.

In a bid to stem the criticism of her trips, the former premier grounded all out-of-province flights on government planes this spring and asked the auditor general to review her office’s use of the aircraft.

Redford paid the entire $45,000 cost of the South Africa trip, which included a $10,000 commercial flight home, as well as $3,100 for trips on government planes in which she invited her daughter’s friends along. She also paid the cost of a flight to B.C. where she attended a relative’s funeral.

Story and comments:   http://www.calgaryherald.com