The (PT) began to lend the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) aircraft (Supreme Court), since 2023, for the trips of the Ministers of the Court. The names of passengers of these flights are not disclosed, and part of the list is kept confidential for the five -year period.
Previously, only the president of the Supreme had an official plane at his disposal. The other court ministers used to hitchhike on flights requested by other authorities, such as ministers of state.
The Lula administration says aircraft is used by the Supreme Court because of threats to court ministers since and that confidentiality is necessary for safety reasons.
A Sheet obtained the information through requests based on the LAI (Access to Information Law) after detecting the frequent presence, in reports published on the FAB website, from flights classified as “available” without revealing the applicant.
With the new data, it was possible to find that most of the planes’ requests came from the Supreme and that court ministers made at least 154 trips from early 2023 until the end of February 2025.
According to people who follow the subject, one of the frequent passengers is responsible for the main investigations against pockets. In addition to participating in the court’s agendas in Brasilia, the minister has residence in São Paulo and teaches at USP law school.
Last month, Moraes wore FAB aircraft on the eve of accompanying, at the stadium, the title won by
The most common routes of the ministers are round trip from São Paulo to Brasilia, totaling 145 trips.
The Supreme Court takes advantage of the rules of use of FAB aircraft to transport other ministers besides the president and hide the occupants of the flights.
What regulates trips allows the use of aircraft by the presidents of the Senate, the House and the Supreme, as well as government ministers and military commanders. The list does not explicitly include STF ministers, but states that the Ministry of Defense may release flights from other national and foreign authorities.
The breach in the rules was expanded in April 2024, when the (Union Court of Auditors) endorsed the details of FAB aircraft flights by high authorities for safety reasons.
The decision has been used to omit passenger names, including cases where magistrates hitchhikes on flights requested by other authorities. THE Sheet He asked the ministries and the Supreme Court, via Lai, the list of flight occupants since 2023.
The Supreme Court cited the TCU rule not to provide the information, but has not revealed how long it will leave the data on trips confidential.
The list of trips at official aircraft made by government ministers and presidents of the Supreme, House and Senate. In part of the flights, there are also the names of the passengers, a decision that has been at the discretion of each organ since the manifestation of the TCU.
Available data do not allow to point out the entire occasions when Moraes and other ministers have used aircraft – there is only partial information.
Since taking office at the Supreme Court in September 2023, Luís Roberto Barroso has traveled 215 times by FAB, using his right to be transported on official planes. In 2024, Barroso was the authority that most often moved with force aircraft ,.
In the public records of the FAB, the communications of flights from other ministers are rare. In 2024, there is 10 from Cármen Lúcia, 3 from Cristiano Zanin, 1 from Moraes and 1 from Gilmar Mendes (which had another flight noted in February 2025). Ministers, in these cases, were on flights requested by other authorities, such as Barroso and Ministers of the Federal Government.
The trips of Zanin and Moraes were in January 2024, before the TCU rule. In the passenger list of the flights of Moraes and Gilmar were the wives of the respective ministers, Viviane Barci de Moraes and Guiomar de Albuquerque Lima Mendes.
Investigations on the coup plot against Lula’s inauguration in 2022 indicate that of the former president (). In 2023, the minister was.
In November 2024, one in front of the Supreme Court, after, and.
For transparency experts, there is no justification for denying information about flights that have already been completed.
Lawyer Bruno Morassutti, advocacy director, says that it is necessary to observe whether secrecy gives additional protection or if it only impairs transparency.
Marina ATOJI, Director of Programs of Transparency Brazil, evaluates that the disclosure is necessary to account for and enable social control.
“Confidentiality on the argument of the security of authority about information like this is only applicable, at most, at the stage prior to the trip,” says ATOJI.
Supreme says he follows law, and ministry cites ‘very serious threats’
In a statement, the Supreme Court stated that all “FAB support requests” follow “strictly” the legislation. “The main motivation for requests is to ensure the security of the authorities based on technical analysis.”
Until March 2024, the flights that attended the court ministers were requested by. From the following month, the STF itself started to trigger the government to mobilize the aircraft. In all cases, flights are classified on the FAB website only as “available” by the Ministry of Defense.
In a statement, the Ministry of Justice stated that the Supreme Ministers began to suffer “very serious threats” after the January 8 attacks.
According to the portfolio, for this reason, “there was alignment to safeguard physical integrity and reinforce the safety of these authorities, which began to fly, preferably, on FAB flights on institutional missions.”
The ministry said the STF flight passenger list will be confidential for five years.
Sought, the defense did not comment on the flights requested by other organs.
The report was produced in partnership with Google. THE Sheet collected documents that are now organized and available to. Look.
