BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Imran Khan mocked for helicopter home-to-work commute

  • Published
    30 August 2018
Share page
About sharing
Imran KhanImage source, Reuters
By Tahir Imran & Patrick Evans
BBC Urdu and UGC & Social News

Online discussion in Pakistan this week is being dominated by the commuting habits of Imran Khan, recently elected as prime minister.

Mr Khan has been making the 9.3-mile (15km) journey - as the crow flies - from his private home to his official residence by helicopter. His choice of transport has come under criticism for being too lavish given his promises to make bureaucrats and politicians tighten their belts.

But it was the defence offered by Information Minister Fawad Chaudry which sparked widespread scorn on social media. Speaking at a press conference he claimed the helicopter was an inexpensive option costing as little 55 rupees ($0.45, £0.34) per km.

"I have seen this on Google," he added.

People were sceptical that travel by helicopter could be so cheap. #Helicopter became the top Twitter trend in Pakistan on Monday with over 16,000 tweets using the hashtag and many making jokes about the claim.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Naila Inayat

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Naila Inayat
Presentational white space

Mr Khan's cost of transport was compared to Careem, a ride-hailing smartphone app in Pakistan.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Sadia Shaukat

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Sadia Shaukat
Presentational white space

The Careem Twitter account also got in on the joke by mocking up a version of their app offering flights.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 3 by Careem Pakistan

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 3 by Careem Pakistan
Presentational white space

How much does it actually cost?

Was people's scepticism over the information minister's claim justified? The short answer is yes.

According to research by BBC Urdu, the fuel for the prime minister's helicopter, an Agusta Westland AW139, costs 1,600 Rupees ($13, £10) per km, higher than the 55 rupees Mr Chaudry claimed. This is also before other costs associated with running a helicopter are factored in.

Agusta Westland helicopterImage source, Government of Pakistan
Image caption,

An Agusta Westland AW139 can seat 15 people

Mr Khan's commute may be more expensive than his minster claimed but defenders of the prime minister have pointed out other reasons to use one.

This tweet arguing travel by helicopter was more secure for Mr Khan has been widely shared:

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 4 by Ali Muhammad Khan

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 4 by Ali Muhammad Khan
Presentational white space

Mr Chaudry echoed these sentiments during his press conference: "We have two options for the travel of the prime minister — by a motorcade that can cause traffic blockades or by helicopter," he said. "There is a difference between VIP culture and security protocol,"

Top stories

  • Trump administration asks court to release some Epstein documents

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world

    • Published
      5 hours ago
  • Boy, 10, dead as nine in hospital after coach crash

    • Published
      10 hours ago

More to explore

  • 'There were bodies everywhere': Druze residents describe 'bloodbath' in Syrian city Suweida

    A health worker and other men walk in a hospital courtyard, past the bodies of victims of the recent clashes in Syria's southern city of Suweida on 17 July 2025
  • Taliban 'revenge' and Labour's 'case for power'

    The front page of the Daily Mail and The Times.
  • Why 2025 is a scarily good year for horror movies

    A still from I Know What You Did Last Summer shows actress Madelyn Cline with her hands clasped to her face, mid-scream. She's inside a house at night with large bay windows behind her.
  • How history-chasing Italy can threaten England at Euro 2025

    • Attribution
      Sport
    Italy celebrate after reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2025 with victory over Norway
  • Kill Russian soldiers, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war?

    A Ukrainian soldier wears a headset to pilot a drone
  • Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions

    A promotional image for a BBC Verify story with branding. A soldier with his head turned away from the camera can be seen in the middle. On either side of him are images of destroyed buildings.
  • Relentless immigration raids are changing California's way of life

    Two protesters in dust masks film federal troops in gas masks in a field of crops in Southern California. One protester flies a Mexican flag
  • Weekly quiz: Why is Kew Garden's Palm House closing?

    Interior view of the Palm House at Kew.
  • How bad is Afghan data breach for MI6 and SAS?

    Two poppy wreaths lie in front of a stone memorial that has Afghanistan written on it.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    US tech CEO suspended after Coldplay concert embrace goes viral

  2. 2

    MasterChef crisis: Wallace and Torode were 'never friends'

  3. 3

    Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world

  4. 4

    Taliban 'revenge' and Labour's 'case for power'

  5. 5

    Amber warning as thunderstorms set to bring flash floods

  6. 6

    Boy, 10, dead as nine in hospital after coach crash

  7. 7

    Trump administration asks court to release some Epstein documents

  8. 8

    Dog who helped police Queen's funeral dies after car crash

  9. 9

    Wasps are back this summer – a lot of them

  10. 10

    Sylvanian Families' legal battle over TikTok drama

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Martin Scarsden faces a new mystery

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Scrublands S2
  • Sinister events in an old Spanish town

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Uncanny: Summer Specials
  • Ghosts US returns for series 4

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Ghosts US S4
  • What does it take to build the perfect athlete?

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    The Infinite Monkey Cage
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.