The 747-8 model VIP Boeing touched down in İstanbul on Wednesday morning. The arrival of another highly visible and obviously expensive addition to the fleet raised criticism from Gamze Taşçıer, a deputy of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), who compared the 400 million dollar, seven-bedroom and two-reception hall plane to a “flying palace.”
“The presidential palace calls on the people of Turkey to save on almost daily basis. But the same people who call for belt-tightening measures cannot give up on luxury and ostentation,” said Taşçıer in a written claim forwarded to Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay. The arrival of the jet came not long after Erdoğan’s son-in-law and Turkish Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak announced savings measures to be implemented on the Turkish state’s massive roster of vehicles for use by public officials.
