Petr Pavel’s decision to attend the Rallye du Maroc earlier in October meant he would likely miss the municipal elections in his hometown of Černouček last week. As it turned out, he was able to make it home from the race in time.

This led to speculation how he flew from the Czech Republic to Morocco and back. Heads of state typically have their travel covered by public funding when on official business, but since the rally was a personal trip and not as the president, Pavel insisted he paid for it out of his own pocket.

Still, as is usually the case when a politician travels, people were going to pry anyway.

Pavel had flown to Morocco on a privately-owned Hawker 900XP. iDNES.cz reported the jet was owned by Pavel Hubáček, a billionaire who runs the Creditas Group. However, a presidential spokesman said neither know each other.

As it turned out, the Hawker was actually owned by one of the competing teams. Fesh Fesh, a Czech truck team of whom Pavel is a close friend, leased one of its charter jets for him to use. Sarah Airways officially operates the plane under its banner.

After the race, iDNES noted he returned to Prague via a scheduled flight with Ryanair from Nador International Airport. He will resume his presidential duties on October 19.

Pavel released the following statement on Friday:

In connection with my trip to Morocco, questions arose that I could not answer during my stay. Nnow that I have returned to the Czech Republic, I want to set things straight.

To start, I want to emphasize that I am explaining the circumstances of a private trip, not a business trip. The Office of the President did not organize it, nor did it pay for anything. I consider these remarks important for the sake of transparency and openness, but from a political standpoint, I reject any intrusion into my private life.

On October 2, I traveled from Prague to Morocco for a private vacation on a plane chartered for the Fesh Fesh team, which was participating in the Rallye du Maroc. The organizers offered us the available seats on board. I accepted the offer and agreed to pay a share for my seat, amounting to 3,750 euros.

For the journey from Casablanca, Morocco, to Prague and back coinciding with the election period, I used a flight provided by a private Moroccan carrier. The flight was arranged by one of the members of our party, Tomáš Šebek, who accompanied me on the trip, along with Pavel Kubíček and a member of the security detail.

I paid 15 thousand euros for this trip from my own funds. That was my share of the total payment.

I returned from Morocco on a regular flight on Thursday, October 15th.

I believe this clears up the matter and closes it.

Fesh Fesh corroborated his comment with its own statement:

On October 2, the President of the Republic traveled from Prague to Morocco for a private trip aboard an aircraft chartered by the Fesh Fesh team, which was participating in the Rallye du Maroc. The plane was used by the team’s clients who visited the Rallye du Maroc, and the available seats on board were offered to the President of the Republic and his entourage. Members of Fesh Fesh subsequently used the same aircraft to return to the Czech Republic. The President contributed to the travel costs an amount equivalent to the price of a business-class ticket on a commercial airline.

Fesh Fesh Team participated in the Rally du Maroc with the new Tatra FF8 4×4 special with the aim of testing the truck before the main racing season. The team secured 6th place in the Truck category. Although the team had higher ambitions, the experience gained and the data collected are of great value to them.

It’s no secret that Pavel is a racing and especially a rally raid fan, having previously followed and photographed the 2025 Dakar Rally. That was also done as a personal trip to Saudi Arabia, though he still spoke on behalf of his country when meeting with government officials.

Pavel christened Tatra’s FF7 that raced the 2025 Dakar.

Featured image credit: Fesh Fesh