Source: TodayOnline
The original price tag of the Youth Olympic was S$122m and the new price tag is now S$387m. According to news report, the journey of the Flame alone will cost S$7m.
The Chinese news portal Xinhua.net (good to have a strong ally with you after taking their excess citizens who will then remit their S$ back to China) had a photo of our chartered Youth Olympic Game Gulfstream G550 Business Jet in the Youth Olympic Game Color.
Source: singapore2010.sg (YOG G550 HB-JEV in Senegal)
Chartering a private jet is not simply buying a ticket in a First Class seat. You pay for the Aircraft Hours, the pilots hours, the grounding handling fees etc. All thousands of dollars per hour, at least.... (not to mention the cost of painting the YOG livery on the G550)
I was wondering how much of the S$7m was spend on chartering of the business jet? (G550 Tail number HB-JEV was chartered from Swiss aircraft chartering company G5 Executive)
But of course, its all well spent and value for money because S$7m vs S$387m is a peanut!
Business Jets were used by Business Executives for their multi billion businesses to save time in traveling on air. Great for businesses if you required point to point travel. But if it is public money, it is once again, value for money because its not your money.
The starting point of the journey of the Flame was from Berlin, Dakar in Senegal, Mexico City, Auckland and Seoul. The Flame should have arrived in Singapore by now. I am so excited, imagining running around Singapore 6 times with it!
Source: planepictures.net (G550 HB-JEV towed by a Lektro on Tarmac at a Swiss airport)
Source: xinhuanet.com (YOG G550 HB-JEV in Berlin)
Source: xinhuanet.com (Mr Ng Ser Miang, Chairman, YOG with his German Counterpart at Berlin)
Source: SFO777 @ flyertalk.com (CIP Terminal @ Changi Airport)
I am not sure if the Youth Olympic Delegation will pass through the CIP (Commercially Important People) terminal at Changi Airport, operated by the JetQuay. But of course, if the last leg from S Korean is via commercial airliner, then the Flame should pass through normal immigration channel.
747 converted to flying hospital to transport patient and now private jet to fly a flame.
ReplyDeleteTo fly a flame!
They should have assigned the duties to some local athletes who will be very honoured to bring the flame in Business Class on normal sheduled flights.
how come cannot use Charlie 130?
ReplyDeleteAnd to think that Singaporeans are being asked to donate money to the ST Pocket Money Fund to meet its target of $5 million to help poor Singaporean school kids have money for lunch...
ReplyDeleteThe G550 business jet is the very top of line private jet built by Gulfstream USA. It costs USD50 million to buy and is chartered out at about USD10,000 per hr, minimum. Based on the itinerary shown below from Berlin to Singapore via Africa, New Zealand, Korea etc I think it must have flown 50-60 hrs. That’s a total cost of USD600,000. Plus the cost of painting the aircraft with YOG logos etc. I would think Singapore taxpayers must have spent about a Million US dollars or about S$1.4m on this aircraft!!!!Where did the rest of the S$7m go to?? Expenses for the YOG team for their great jolly at tax payers expense??
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the 7million went to the accompanied jokers for they have to stay in 5 star hotel, enjoy 5 star entertainment, and pay for 5 star Angmoh ball carrying along the way. These jokers do not know the pain and suffering of the people (人民疾苦). The detached ruler will feel the wrath of the people for they have lost the will of the heaven.
ReplyDeleteif i earn 10000 a day.. would i know the life of pple who make 10 a day? i wont want to care more
ReplyDeleteEh if you complain so much then make sure you finish all your food on your plate, because there are millions of African Children dying to eat the scraps off your plate... You want to organize world class event but you want to use C130 for transport. Firstly Ask your self whether the C130 can Fly as far as the gulf stream without refueling. Secondly SAF only got how many C130? Where got enough to loan to YOG for an extended period of time.
ReplyDeleteFinally for all the people complaining about the YOG costing more then 300million. Why don't you go find out how much of the YOG contracts have been awarded to local companies. Correct me if i'm wrong, but i've read that perhaps 60-70% of the contracts were awarded to local companies. Govt creating employment people also complain....Find out your facts before believing everything you read on the internet.
Charlie 130!!! Great idea!! That's the way to go!!! Waste so much $$ on a flame while the common people suffer
ReplyDeleteJust because 60 to 70 % of the contracts were awarded to local companies does not necessarily mean that employment rate has increased or that Singaporeans are benefiting. Please get your facts right. The point is that there is a S$200 million over expenditure and the government should account to tax payers why this is so, and how did the estimation exercise go so wrong, and by 200% to be precise. More importantly, Minister VB should explain what he means by "money well spent".
ReplyDelete60 to 70% of contracts goes to local companies, but the question is how many of these so called local companies are OWNED BY TEMASEK HOLDINGS??!! Get your facts and orientation right. See the big picture and think of the less fortunate, not just blindly follow because your own life is a bed of roses.
ReplyDeleteEven if they go to Temasek holdings...who does temasek holdings employ? Singaporeans right? (I'm sure there are be foreign employees involved too but thats lets not bring the convo into a debate about foreigners working in Sg)Anyway Temasek holdings is a GLC working for? SINGAPOREANS
ReplyDeleteSecondly I agree that accountability over the budget is important. And I think the problem is that the government hasn't been able to adequately convey the tangible benefits hosting the YOG will bring to SG. We Singaporeans are a practical lot, without the figures reflecting increased tourist receipts we're not able to comprehend why so much money was spent. Supposed benefits such as increased prestige for Singapore is often untranslatable to visible benefits for the average joe and hence the discontentment.
Pls be objective about it. In order to fly the long distances, G550 is the minimum that you need. Remember this plane needs to fly across 5 continents, esp the leg from Mexico to Auckland, across Atlantic Ocean. And even with G550, it had to make a fuel stop half-way through. G550 is only a 14-seater; compared to the Boeing that all past Olympic Games used, so if you think abt it, the Organiser already took great efforts to save on cost. And since it was done through open tender, this must be the lowest or most economical cost option, so it wouldn't have pass the tender evaluation.
ReplyDeleteAs for the air travel of the crew, remember that these are sponsored by SIA.
"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteEh if you complain so much then make sure you finish all your food on your plate, because there are millions of African Children dying to eat the scraps off your plate...". Unquote.
Love the way this anon did his reasoning. For his/her information, there are Sinkapooreans waiting for Minister Vivien Balakrishnan to deliver foods to their homes as the Minister had kindly told the World. However, the neighbours of those waiting should tell tose waiting not to be fooled, for the foods will never arrived. The Minister had said those words to spike Sinkapooreans only. God knows.
Dont complain so much because it is Singaporeans who elected the Governemnt.People deserve the Government they get.
ReplyDeleteTo August 15, 2010 10:52 AM
ReplyDelete$300m donated to any Singaporean charity will also benefit the local contractors / entrepreneurs.
- upgrading old folks home need reno contractors
- getting more medical equipment for hospice
- books for poor kids from popular
...
Any spend will have economic multiplier effect and not necessarily YOG!
SEA games also, which we passed!
regards
If you need to travel in short notice or to any interior distance can prefer chartering a Private Jet.
ReplyDeleteTo really save cost, the organising committee should just book some business class tickets and use scheduled flights such as Lufthansa, some African airlines or even Singapore Airlines for the Journey of the Flame.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned earlier, Business Jets are for business executives who need to travel point to point with out transits in their multi million or billion businesses.
YOG? How much $$ is YOG generating to justify even chartering a Cessna single prop aircraft?
They should used scheduled airlines for the Journey of the Flame. I DO NOT mean chartering the whole airliner, but as passengers with other regular passengers in a scheduled airline(s).
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ReplyDeleteI never thought about how the flame got from country to country, I thought the whole thing was by foot. I suppose it makes sense to transport it by air but I'm not sure an executive jet is the best use of public funds.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's easier to charter a private jet as opposed to buying one.
ReplyDeletethere's no doubt that chartering a private jet is more hassle free and is worth your every penny. considering all the taxes and maintenance fees.
ReplyDeletethat's a huge plane. how many passengers can it fit?
ReplyDelete