Department for Transport: Aviation
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Bangladesh; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The Department for Transport (DfT) works with international partners to support and strengthen aviation security standards at last points of departure to the UK. This includes technical cooperation and, where necessary, in‑country activity to provide assurance and support effective delivery at airports. Where possible, visits were combined with other engagements to minimise costs and reduce the need for multiple journeys.
All visits were approved by a Deputy Director (Senior Civil Servant) in DfT’s Transport Security Division in line with departmental policy.
- 25th and 26th August 2025 – The flights undertaken on these dates involved two Senior Executive Officers (SEO) and one Executive Officer (EO) travelling to conduct two separate airport assessments for assurance purposes. Total cost: £7,178.32
- 15th September 2025 – This was for one DfT official at EO grade and two DfT approved third party trainers to deliver capability development training. No Ministers or Senior Officials attended. Total cost: £12,543.51.
The visits to Bangladesh were undertaken to support ongoing aviation security activity. While a significant proportion of DfT’s international aviation security activity is conducted remotely, certain elements of technical engagement and training require presence on the ground, particularly where activity is focused on operational environments such as airports.
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