Scottish Government domestic and international flight information: FOI release

Information requested

Over the past 5 years (financial or annual, between 2019 and 2024 to date):

1. How many domestic flights were taken by a member of the Scottish Government for official purposes?
2. What was the cost of domestic flights taken by the Scottish Government?
3. How many international flights were taken by a member of the Scottish Government for official purposes?
4. What was the cost of international flights taken by the Scottish Government?

You also clarified that for information arranged as annual/calendar years you would prefer a time range of 2020 to 2024 to date.

Response

The cost and number of domestic and international flights taken by core Scottish Government staff over the last 5 calendar years is:

	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 to date of request
Number of domestic flights	569	179	776	1026	673
Cost of domestic flights	£114,540	£38,453	£168,517	£243,997	£150,911
Number of international flights	318	66	635	740	381
Cost of international flights	£89,554	£24,620	£234,219	£264,866	£157,260

The table above does not include Ministerial travel because this information is either available publicly from Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) or it is due to be published on that website. Under Section 25(1) of FOISA we do not have to give you information that is already reasonably accessible to you, and under Section 27(1) of FOISA we do not have to give you information that is intended for future publication within 12 weeks. If, however, you not have internet access to obtain this information from the website listed then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

While our aim is to provide information wherever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Data relating to flights purchased via expenses claims after September 2024 is not held because the information is not yet available. This is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. Flights taken in relation to public inquiries are excluded from the response, under Section 37 of FOISA.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.