Maryam’s Rs16bn helicopter claim questioned by experts

Summary

• Aviation experts’ estimates have cast doubt on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s claim that other provincial governments have acquired helicopters worth Rs16 billion, with available figures showing substantially lower market values for aircraft operated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh.
• However, Khan and Captain Ali Azad, director general of the provincial Aviation Wing, estimated its current market value at around Rs1.662 billion.
• Although a new aircraft of this type may cost between Rs2.77 billion and Rs3.047 billion, the market value of Sindh’s much older helicopter was estimated at between Rs415.5 million and Rs969.5 million.

AI Generated Summary

Aviation experts’ estimates have cast doubt on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s claim that other provincial governments have acquired helicopters worth Rs16 billion, with available figures showing substantially lower market values for aircraft operated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh.

Maryam made the claim on October 2 while defending the Punjab government’s recently acquired Gulfstream G500 luxury jet. She said the aircraft was worth between Rs10 billion and Rs11 billion and argued that helicopter purchases by other provinces had received less public attention.