Oklahoma to Spend $3 Million on New State Plane as Stitt Family Flights Scrutinized

Lawsuit seeks transparency on purpose and passengers of governor's air travel

Apr. 7, 2026 at 9:10am

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An extreme close-up of a state aircraft's fuselage and wing, with the plane's silhouette reflected in the warm, golden light of the setting sun, conceptually illustrating the political tensions surrounding the governor's travel on state-owned planes.As questions swirl around the governor's use of state aircraft, a new $3 million plane purchase aims to provide more efficient and transparent travel for future administrations.Oklahoma City Today

Oklahoma's new budget includes $3 million to replace the state's aging aircraft, even as a lawsuit swirls around records of the current plane's use by Gov. Kevin Stitt and his family for official and personal travel. The governor's office says the new plane will be more efficient and safer for future administrations, but questions remain about the lack of documented purposes for many past flights.

Why it matters

The use of state aircraft by Oklahoma governors has long been a point of controversy, with concerns about transparency and the appropriate use of public resources. This latest development highlights the ongoing debate over the governor's exceptional status under state laws governing political use of state planes.

The details

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is being sued by the nonprofit Oklahoma Voice for not including the purpose of trips on flight logs and redacting the names of passengers on the state aircraft used by Gov. Stitt and his family. Records show the Stitt family took 17 out-of-state trips in the first half of 2024, with no purposes listed as required by state law. The governor also used the state plane for a political trip to Pennsylvania in 2024 to campaign for a U.S. Senate candidate, which is allowed under a 1997 attorney general opinion despite a state law prohibiting such use.

  • In the first half of 2024, Gov. Kevin Stitt and his family took frequent out-of-state trips.
  • In July 2024, NonDoc requested flight logs and passenger manifests for all trips taken on an ODOT-registered 1992 Beechcraft King Air from Jan. 1 to July 1 of that year.
  • In May 2025, ODOT provided 104 pages of records detailing 17 flights taken by the governor or his family.
  • In January 2026, Oklahoma Voice filed a lawsuit alleging ODOT is disregarding laws requiring flights aboard the airplane to have a publicly logged purpose and passenger manifest.
  • A hearing on ODOT's motion to dismiss the lawsuit is set for July 21, 2026.

The players

Kevin Stitt

The outgoing governor of Oklahoma who initiated the purchase of a new state plane.

Sarah Stitt

The first lady of Oklahoma who took multiple out-of-state trips on the state aircraft without the purpose of the trips being documented.

Oklahoma Voice

A nonprofit organization that filed a lawsuit against ODOT seeking the release of redacted passenger names and trip purposes for flights on the state plane.

Dave McCormick

A U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania whom Gov. Stitt campaigned for in 2024 using the state aircraft.

Drew Edmondson

A former Oklahoma Attorney General who authored an opinion in 1997 granting the governor and their family broad authority to use state transportation for various purposes.

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What they’re saying

“What happens in your Senate race affects Oklahoma (...), it affects everything. And that's why it's so important for us to rally together to make sure he's the next U.S. senator.”

— Gov. Kevin Stitt

What’s next

The judge in the Oklahoma Voice lawsuit will decide on July 21, 2026 whether to allow ODOT's motion to dismiss the case seeking transparency on the governor's use of the state plane.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing debate over the appropriate use of state resources by Oklahoma's governor, with concerns about transparency, accountability, and the balance between official and political travel. The $3 million purchase of a new state plane will likely face additional scrutiny as the lawsuit proceeds.