Cancelled US Trip by Swedish Parliament Speaker Cost Nearly 1.5 Million Kronor

The planned trip by Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlén to the United States in October 2025 was cancelled at short notice following the unexpected closure of the US House of Representatives in Washington. Despite the cancellation, Swedish defense authorities incurred costs nearing 1.5 million kronor due to the hiring of a private jet.

Initially, the Swedish Armed Forces faced significant challenges providing their own state aircraft for the delegation, which led the parliament to insist on renting a private Global 5500 jet to enable visits across multiple states. However, a few weeks before departure, ongoing issues with aircraft availability, including one plane being used for the Defense Minister’s trip to Somalia and another facing technical issues, forced the hiring of the private plane.

Norlén said he was unaware of the complications regarding flight arrangements until the last minute, learning about the private charter just the Friday before the early Monday flight. The parliament ultimately did not pay the bill for the cancelled trip, which the defense forces still bore a significant part of. This incident follows previous cases where private planes were chartered for Norlén’s travels, including a family trip to Geneva.

The cost per flight hour for state flights has remained fixed at 10,800 kronor since 2013 despite inflation, drawing criticism from politicians like Green Party member Ulf Holm, who argues the rate should be updated to reflect rising costs. The state flight service, financed through the military budget, is primarily used by top government and civil officials, including the king, prime minister, and speaker. Discussions on adjusting prices have occurred since 2016 but have yet to result in change. Defense officials emphasize the need for prudent budget usage amid increasing defense expenditures.