The government’s controversial new VIP jet made its first flight yesterday, after arriving in Malaysia over a week earlier.

According to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24 , the jet with the registration number 9M-NAB flew from Subang to Kuala Terengganu, starting the almost one-hour journey at 4.32pm.

It then departed Kuala Terengganu back to Subang at 7.10pm, making the two-way trip under the flight number NR1.

The flight number was previously used almost exclusively by another government jet, which carried the registration number 9M-NAA although it is not the only flight number that the older aircraft had used.

Previously, the new aircraft 9M-NAB was registered with a Maltese registration number 9H-AWK, and was supposedly owned Air Luther AG and managed by Comlux Aviation.

PKR secretary-general Mohd Rafizi Ramli had highlighted and questioned the government’s purchase of the jet through another company Jet Premier One Sdn Bhd in a series of press conferences in March.

Among others, Rafizi claimed that the purchase of the Airbus ACJ320 jet would cost taxpayers RM465.4 million over 15 years, overpaying by at least RM109 million.

The Pandan MP also claimed that the new aircraft’s operations, maintenance and management would cost another RM46 million a year, and that the government had spent an additional RM28 million to renovate its already posh interior.

Curious stopover in Kazakhstan

Prior to making its flight to and fro Kuala Terengganu, the aircraft had been in Malta where Comlux has a base.

It flew from Malta to Hamburg, Germany on May 1, and then onwards to Almaty, Kazakhstan on May 6, and finally to Subang later on the same day, where it was kept until yesterday’s flight.

It is unclear why it stopped over in Almaty and who was on board the jet at the time.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, his wife Rosmah Mansor and many other senior officials were reportedly attending the Perak Sultan’s enthronement ceremony at the time the aircraft was in Almaty.

Incidentally Almaty was where Najib held one of the several wedding receptions for his daughter and the Kazakh groom earlier between April 17 and April 19.

Following Rafizi’s allegations, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has since clarified that the ACJ320 was being hire-purchased to replace another government aircraft - an ageing Boeing 737 BBJ bearing the registration number M53-01.

“Talks to replace the BBJ were initiated two years ago in view of the increasing cost of aircraft maintenance due to age and safety risk factors.

“The acquisition of the new aircraft can reduce operational, management and maintenance costs as the government already has a ACJ319 in the fleet,” Bernama had quoted the PMO saying.

The ACJ319 refers to the government’s existing Airbus jet registered as 9M-NAA.

It has yet to rebut the figures provided by Rafizi.

According to FlightRadar24, the Boeing aircraft is still being used frequently - making 55 flights over the past month, including a two-way trip between Subang and Alor Setar yesterday, and destinations as far away as Bahrain on April 29.