Senate sets travel record: over one million in three months

Published on May 25, 2026 | Translated from Spanish

The Senate's expenditure on travel for its senators has reached 1,008,851 euros in the first quarter of 2026, the highest figure in the last decade. The 7% increase compared to the previous year is explained by intense parliamentary activity, with 24 sessions of investigative committees promoted by the PP, which even enabled the month of January to work on issues such as the Koldo case, the dana, or the SEPI.

Senate chamber interior with empty seats, a digital travel expense dashboard showing a soaring red line graph breaking a million-euro mark, scattered airplane tickets and hotel receipts on a polished wooden desk, a senator’s briefcase open with commission dossiers labeled Koldo and Dana, calendar pages flipped to January with multiple highlighted dates, dramatic overhead lighting casting long shadows, photorealistic technical visualization, sharp focus on financial documents and screen data, cinematic wide-angle composition, metallic sheen on legislative furniture, subtle motion blur suggesting rapid activity.

How flight management scales up parliamentary costs ✈️

The budget item, which covers official, political, and parliamentary travel, also includes cancellations and ticket changes. In an environment where the PP's absolute majority has created seven committees, travel logistics have skyrocketed. From a resource management perspective, this increase reflects a common pattern in administrations with high activity: without a route optimization or advance purchase system, transportation costs tend to inflate. The lack of stricter cost control in ticket purchasing allows each committee to generate a steady trickle of euros on flights and trains.

The Senate discovers that January also exists for flying 😅

Who would have thought it: after years of considering January a dead month for politics, the Senate has discovered that you can work in that month... and spend on plane tickets as if there were no tomorrow. With 24 investigative committees, senators have shown that you don't need holidays to travel. Of course, the travel spending record does not include coffee from the vending machines, which has surely also gone up. Efficiency, that great unknown, has gone on a trip.