After criticising Kevin Rudd’s penchant for overseas travel, Tony Abbott will next month match the record amount of trips by a prime minister in the first year in office, an Australian Financial Review report claims.

Mr Abbott will have made 11 trips overseas when he returns from India and Malaysia in September, the same amount of flights Mr Rudd made in his first 12 months in office.

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The prime minister was among Coalition politicians who criticised Mr Rudd for the amount of time he spent overseas after regaining the Labor leadership last year, labelling him “Kevin 747”.

“I think he wants to campaign for the prime ministership of this country from the front of a 747,” Mr Abbott said.

“I don’t think the Australian public are going to really warm to that but I think that’s the temptation before him now, to not only be Kevin 747 but maybe Kevin A380 and spend most of the next few months out of the country.”

The report alleges that the Coalition government is placing an increased importance on overseas travel following the MH17 tragedy, a winner in the polls for Mr Abbott.