Empty VIP flights cost over $1 million

The cost of flying for travellers within the USA is about to get higher thanks to the budget deal. Source: AAP

TAXPAYERS shelled out more than $1.1 million over six months for near-empty air force planes to pick up politicians and other dignitaries or to return from having dropped them off.

More than $200,000 was spent for a passenger-less KC-30A transport plane to fly to and from China in April, a Defence report shows.

The aircraft was used to fly then-prime minister Julia Gillard, ministers Bob Carr, Craig Emerson and Bill Shorten, staffers, bureaucrats, business delegates and journalists around in China - but it did not transport them to the country from Australia or fly them back.

Ms Gillard took a different RAAF plane to and from China for the trade and business trip.

Journalists on the trip used commercial flights to get to Hainan province, where Ms Gillard started her tour.

The air force's VIP fleet was also sent to Perth each parliamentary sitting week to bring Western Australian politicians to Canberra.

Coalition, Labor and Greens politicians all took advantage of the flights.

Those 10 missions cost taxpayers almost $275,000 - including $151,680 for each of the Canberra-to-Perth legs when there were no passengers.

RAAF planes were also used to fly politicians home from Canberra after the budget week in May and the final sitting before the election in June.

These trips cost a total of $75,210.

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