Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss is facing criticism after taking an expensive taxpayer-funded charter flight when commercial flights were still available.

Media reports have claimed Mr Truss flew privately from Port Macquarie to Sydney whilst fellow MPs opted to take Qantas flights on Thursday last week.

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Despite anger over former Speaker Bronwyn Bishop’s expenses, Mr Truss went ahead with the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 charter to Sydney.

According to reports, the chartered flight left 30 minutes before Qantas flights.

The Deputy Prime Minister was in Port Macquarie for a sod turning ceremony on the Hastings River Bridge and to speak on the Australian-led search for missing Malaysian airliner MH370.

A spokesman for Mr Truss defended the Deputy Prime Minister’s flight, saying he had an evening commitment that day at the Boao Forum for Asia in Sydney.

“This would have been extremely tight for his Boao commitment and the high risk that the Hastings River media conference would go overtime given the high level of interest on that day surrounding both the bridge event and debris found on Reunion Island,” he said.

“Accordingly, the DPM’s office booked a charter for the ­return flight.”

Mr Truss had been one of the former speaker’s staunchest supporters during the expenses saga.