A charter flight organized by the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Flight and Migration, which transported seven individuals to Bulgaria, has been reported to have cost a mid-five-digit sum of money. According to a spokesperson for the ministry, the Federal Police is responsible for the procurement of offers and the organization of the flight equipment. The charter price for the February 11 flight, as offered by the Federal Police, amounts to around 63,000 euros, the spokesperson explained to the Rheinische Post.
In addition to the charter price, the ministry spokesperson stated that further expenses arose and costs cannot be named in a blanket manner. Factors such as the availability of the flight equipment, insurance and the costs of the flight route and landing in the destination country, as well as the number of accompanying personnel and ground staff, must be taken into account.
The spokesperson also mentioned that, in addition to the individuals to be transferred, personnel from the Federal Police, medical staff and interpreters are typically present. “Repatriations and deportations are generally very costly, both in terms of organization, personnel and finance” the spokesperson said. “There is a consensus that repatriation processes are part of the system and must be consistently carried out.”
North Rhine-Westphalia had, on February 11, for the first time, transferred asylum seekers using a charter flight organized in-house to Bulgaria. Four Syrian and three Afghan men, aged between the early and late 20s, were brought from the country. In this context, Minister of Flight and Migration Josefine Paul (Green Party) had spoken of a “big step forward” as the federal states had previously not had the opportunity to put such charter flights to Bulgaria into motion.