On January 23rd, 2025, Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command executed a mission supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal flights by providing military airlift via Air Force C-17s.
Free members can watch the full video on YouTube below.
One of my Substack subscribers asked me if a charter flight would be cheaper, so I did the math.
The cost to operate a C-17 (as of 2022) is $30,378 per flight hour and it can hold 134 passengers.
The cost to operate a 737-700 which is roughly comparable in passenger capacity (149 passengers) may be around $21,050 per hour to operate although there are lower estimates
So it can be assumed that a C-17 costs $226.70 per person / per hour and a 737-700 costs $141.28.
Using a chartered jet saves the taxpayer $85.42.
However, according to the American Immigration Council, detention costs $236.52 per person per day, so every day that is spent in detention waiting for a cheaper flight might actually cost more than using a military jet that is available now.
The document from the American Immigration Council is below:
The document from the GAO regarding flight hours is here. The C-17 can be found on page 118
Yes, MC-Hammer really did have a charter plane, a Boeing 727-31.
