CDU leader Friedrich Merz has defended his journey by private plane to the wedding of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). He does not regret having traveled by plane, said Merz on Sunday in the ZDF "summer interview", in which the opposition leader again spoke out in favor of extending the nuclear power plant runtimes.
"To put it in a nutshell: I use less fuel with this small plane than any member of the federal government's company car. And that's why I fly.” He mainly uses his plane for professional purposes. "I stand by it and it's an old dream of mine, if you will. Always has been.”
At the beginning of July, the politician flew with his wife Charlotte in their own plane to Lindner's wedding to the journalist Franca Lehfeldt, who works for the WELT news channel, to Sylt. His Diamond DA62 aircraft is a twin-engine aircraft manufactured by the Austrian manufacturer Diamond Aircraft.
According to the manufacturer, the DA62 aircraft type consumes 44.7 liters of kerosene per flight hour. However, this consumption specification depends on the flight altitude and flight speed. The aircraft's two tanks hold 326 liters of kerosene. According to the manufacturer, the machine flies up to 2376 kilometers. In the best-case scenario, this would mean consumption of at least 13.7 liters per 100 kilometers.
For comparison: The Mercedes-Benz S680 Guard of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) consumes 19.5 liters per 100 kilometers according to the WLTP standard. However, the safety requirements for the chancellor's body are higher than for an opposition leader's car: Scholz's car is armored and has to withstand attacks with grenades and assault rifles and sniper rifles.
Other ministers, including Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens), Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Finance Minister Lindner, also use the federal fleet of armored limousines, which include the particularly secure versions of the S-Class, but also the Audi A8 and the 7 series belong to BMW and which, due to the armor, always consume more than the models for normal petrol consumers.
Overall, however, the traffic light has resolved to focus more on electromobility than the grand coalition: Foreign Minister Annalen Baerbock (Greens) had ordered the Mercedes electric flagship EQS in February. And Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) can be chauffeured in the Audi e-tron.
As a member of the federal government addressed, Özdemir also replied on Twitter on Sunday evening to the statements in Merz's summer interview: "My company car is an electric car and therefore does not consume any fuel at all. Neither does my bike, ”wrote Özdemir and posted a wink smiley.
When the government changed in December, Özdemir rode his bike from the Bundestag to his ministerial appointment at Bellevue Palace, wearing a helmet and an outdoor jacket.
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