OTTAWA - The finance minister's office says Jim Flaherty flew on a government jet for a photo-op at a Tim Horton's in London, Ont., last Friday, but the plane wasn't a Challenger jet that ministers normally use when commercial flights are not available.

Flaherty's communications director Mike Storeshaw told CTV News the minister commandeered a Transport Canada jet that is not usually available for the use of cabinet ministers.

The minister's office initially did not respond to requests from CTV News to identify the type of aircraft and the cost per hour to Canadian taxpayers.

However, by Sunday night, Storeshaw called CTV to confirm that Flaherty flew on a Transport Canada CF550 Citation aircraft.

"It is not an exception for ministers to use that plane," he said, adding Transport Minister John Baird's office approved the flight.

Storeshaw claimed it only costs $1,199 per hour to run the jet. A fleet of Challenger jets are available for cabinet ministers but there are strict rules for using them. It costs $9,000 per hour to fly the Challenger.

The flight to London and back to Ottawa was three hours.

However, Liberal MP David McGuinty cast doubt on the $1,199 per hour price tag.

"That's not possible. They are making it up," he said.

"There is no way that jet costs $1,000 an hour to run. You've got the salaries of two pilots, plus the fuel, plus landing and maintenance."

A Cessna official said the cost per hour is $1,700 US, but that does not include cost of the two pilots needed to operate the jet.

Sources in the offices of other cabinet ministers told CTV that they had never heard of any other ministers using the Citation.

Still, a spokesman for Baird said "the finance minister did not receive special treatment."

The spokesman added that other ministers have used the training aircraft as well.

"Flying the planes allows for pilots to conduct inspection work and to maintain their competencies through hours of flight," Baird's spokesman said.

McGuinty noted Flaherty should think twice about using a jet when he's preaching government restraint.

"At a time when I have so many seniors worrying about getting their bus pass, Jim Flaherty could have gone to a Tim Horton's five minutes from Parliament Hill to do his photo-op."