Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to Tirupati, India to pay homage at a much sought-after place of worship in the area attracted much public attention last week, mainly due to the mode of transport used by the Premier and his family members for the trip.
Photographs of the Prime Minister disembarking from a blue Embraer Legacy 600 business jet at Tirupati International Airport captured the attention of many. The next question was how the Prime Minister afforded a jet ride for a personal visit at a time the country was facing one of its worst economic crises.
However, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Yoshitha Rajapaksa told the media last week that the jet was provided as a gesture of goodwill.
“One of Sir’s friends gave that aircraft to him free of charge for his travel to Tirupati. He is an Indian businessman who does not want to be named. He is a friend of the Prime Minister and it was a gesture of goodwill,” he had told The Morning.
According to information available online, the average hourly rental rate of a Legacy 600 is around $ 6,700 per hour.
Amidst many questions on the owner of the jet, it was later revealed on social media that it was owned by Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Uganda and current Ambassador to Kenya Kananathan.
The Morning revealed that the Legacy 600 concerned was registered in the small European nation of San Marino (a known tax haven) as “T7-JSG” and is one of the many aircraft in the fleet of JetSetGo Aviation Services (Pvt.) Ltd., an Indian firm which provides private aircraft charter services to high net worth individuals. Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh sits on the board of the company as an investor.
However, the jet had flown into the Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana on 16 December from Uganda.
“We are delighted to welcome this fabulous blue bird from Uganda at CIAR today,” the Airport had stated in a social media post.
After 17 December, there were no available details of the aircraft’s whereabouts until its departure from Chennai International Airport on 22 December, before arriving in Ratmalana the same evening. Later on 23 December, the aircraft departed Ratmalana for Tirupati with the Prime Minister onboard. The aircraft was once again on the ground in Ratmalana on 24 December before departing to New Delhi on the same day. Sunny Side Up: The controversial jet ride
02 Jan 2022
Sunny Side Up: The controversial jet ride
02 Jan 2022
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to Tirupati, India to pay homage at a much sought-after place of worship in the area attracted much public attention last week, mainly due to the mode of transport used by the Premier and his family members for the trip.
Photographs of the Prime Minister disembarking from a blue Embraer Legacy 600 business jet at Tirupati International Airport captured the attention of many. The next question was how the Prime Minister afforded a jet ride for a personal visit at a time the country was facing one of its worst economic crises.
However, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Yoshitha Rajapaksa told the media last week that the jet was provided as a gesture of goodwill.
“One of Sir’s friends gave that aircraft to him free of charge for his travel to Tirupati. He is an Indian businessman who does not want to be named. He is a friend of the Prime Minister and it was a gesture of goodwill,” he had told The Morning.
According to information available online, the average hourly rental rate of a Legacy 600 is around $ 6,700 per hour.
Amidst many questions on the owner of the jet, it was later revealed on social media that it was owned by Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Uganda and current Ambassador to Kenya Kananathan.
The Morning revealed that the Legacy 600 concerned was registered in the small European nation of San Marino (a known tax haven) as “T7-JSG” and is one of the many aircraft in the fleet of JetSetGo Aviation Services (Pvt.) Ltd., an Indian firm which provides private aircraft charter services to high net worth individuals. Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh sits on the board of the company as an investor.
However, the jet had flown into the Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana on 16 December from Uganda.
“We are delighted to welcome this fabulous blue bird from Uganda at CIAR today,” the Airport had stated in a social media post.
After 17 December, there were no available details of the aircraft’s whereabouts until its departure from Chennai International Airport on 22 December, before arriving in Ratmalana the same evening. Later on 23 December, the aircraft departed Ratmalana for Tirupati with the Prime Minister onboard. The aircraft was once again on the ground in Ratmalana on 24 December before departing to New Delhi on the same day.