A plane purchased last year by the Government and announced as equipment for transporting patients has been used to take the governor to official appointments and political agendas.
The King Air 260 model plane, registered PS-GEP, was purchased for R$64.3 million with funding from the Secretariat of Social Defense, in July 2025, and delivered in December. When announcing the arrival of the aircraft, the Pernambuco Air Tactical Group stated that the objective was to expand “aerial medical care”.
Still in December, however, the medical equipment was temporarily removed so that the plane could transport the governor to Brasília, where she met with the president (PT) and the president of her party, .
At the time, the Government of Pernambuco had to call an air taxi company to remove a medical patient and carry out an operation to collect organs for transplantation, with a total cost of around R$100,000.
Last month, the aircraft was used again to take Raquel, who will run for re-election this year, to appointments in the countryside of Pernambuco, São Paulo and Brasília.
The Government of Pernambuco told the Sheet that its aircraft are used “only in institutional missions of public interest”, following technical, operational and legal criteria, and that there was no harm to health actions. He also added that Raquel Lyra’s movements are mostly via commercial flights.
The tender for the purchase of the aircraft included among its purposes the transport of authorities, in a “multi-mission” format, which also included the movement of security forces, organs and patients, in addition to civil defense actions.
The terms of reference required that the plane be equipped with an aeromedical kit for rescuing and transporting patients. This equipment costs almost R$400,000, according to data from the Transparency Portal.
The health care function was highlighted by the body responsible for operating government aircraft at the time of its launch.
“With an adequate structure for air medical transport, the plane guarantees more agility in response time and greater safety for patients and teams, strengthening service in missions that cannot wait”, described the Pernambuco Air Tactical Group on Instagram.
In a video, Commissioner Emmanuel Oliveira de Figueiredo states: “It’s a King Air 260, acquired by the state government to expand aeromedical care within the state and outside it. (…) Before, we operated with a smaller category aircraft, but there were some restrictions due to the aircraft’s performance.”
The governor’s first use of the plane occurred a few days after the aircraft was delivered. On December 15, Ciopaer (Integrated Air Operations Center) carried out the “removal of medical equipment and adequate preparation of the aircraft for VIP transport”, according to a government order.
“VIP transport” is the expression used in the documentation for the purchase of the aircraft, describing the use of the equipment for the movement of authorities.
The following day, Raquel was at Planalto with Lula to sign a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) for the recovery of the Recife Metro. Furthermore, he had political agendas with Kassab and found an allied mayor.
On the 18th, she left for São Paulo, where she participated in the auction for the concession of basic sanitation services. On the same day, the governor returned to Brasília for a meeting of mayors of Pernambuco.
Questioned by Sheetthe Government of Pernambuco stated that “in movements that do not involve health missions, medical equipment is temporarily removed and reinstalled at the end of the operation, without compromising its functionality”.
In December, when the plane was modified to transport the governor, there was a need to airlift a patient in Pernambuco and collect organs. Such actions had to be carried out by the company Easy Táxi Aéreo, at a cost of R$64.1 thousand and R$36.9 thousand, according to data from the Transparency Portal.
The second use of the plane occurred in May, when the King Air’s flight history coincided with Raquel’s schedule in Brasília. During this period, she participated in the March of Mayors and a dinner with deputies and other allies.
Between the 21st and 23rd, Raquel completed advertising and construction delivery schedules in the backlands of Pernambuco. There are records of the plane moving, during this period, from Recife airport to runways located in this region of the state.
The Government of Pernambuco stated that aircraft from the state’s public fleet “are only used in institutional missions of public interest, including public security actions, civil defense, aeromedical support, transportation of technical teams and official travel.”
“The aircraft belong to the state and their use follows technical, operational and legal criteria established by the competent bodies”, he declared.
Still according to the state Executive, Raquel’s movements “occur, for the most part, via commercial flights.”
The government says that since the beginning of the administration, “158 sections were registered, generating savings of R$880 thousand. Between 2020 and 2023, the government settled the amount of R$1.6 million referring to air taxi contracts used in the period from 2019 to 2022, prior to the current administration”.
In this regard, the government says that Raquel’s travels on official aircraft “occur to fulfill institutional agendas of interest to the state, in accordance with ordinance 734/SDS, of May 16, 2010.”
“In this modality, 45 sections were carried out, without any harm to public health and safety operations, as other aircraft remain available to meet these demands”, added the government, in a note.
