Dundee University spent more than £44,000 on business and first-class flights for senior staff over 10 months, even as it plans to cut nearly 200 jobs to address a financial crisis. The institution spent £44,798.80 on 19 premium-class flights between June 1, 2024 and April 22, 2025, to destinations including Florence, Singapore, Nairobi, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Job Cuts Amid Spending Controversy
In June, Dundee University announced that almost 200 more jobs could be cut to “ensure that the university survives.” This follows the loss of 645 posts through voluntary redundancy. The university has warned that a further £20 million in savings is required, with 190 jobs set to go across teaching and professional services. The total potential job losses could exceed 800, according to union estimates.
The spending on premium flights comes as the university grapples with a £35 million deficit, which forced it to seek a £22 million bailout from the Scottish Government. In December 2024, then-principal Professor Iain Gillespie resigned days after it emerged he took a £7,000 business trip to Hong Kong with a colleague. The latest available accounts show total remuneration for the principal and vice-chancellor in 2023–24 was £316,000, up from £303,000 the previous year.
Union Criticism and Broader Context
Katrina Currie of Unite said: “Universities across Scotland are inflicting swingeing cuts, and in many cases it is down to gross financial mismanagement. The situation at Dundee is critical, with the university’s new principal proposing further job cuts which would take the total to over 800. Others, including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Strathclyde, are literally forcing people out the door. It simply can’t be justified that millions of pounds are being spent collectively by universities on pay, pensions and perks as thousands are set to lose their jobs. The Scottish Government should intervene to put an end to the prevailing culture of arrogance and get a grip of this national scandal.”
The Sunday Mail has led investigations into universities across Scotland facing major financial shortfalls. In March, it revealed that some of Scotland’s most prestigious universities are facing £187 million in cuts, despite senior bosses receiving more than £3.2 million in pay and expenses over just two years. The universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Glasgow all paid generous packages to their globe-trotting vice-chancellors, collectively spending over £155,000 on expenses in that period.
University's Defence and Government Response
Dundee University said: “We put in place from November 2024, when the financial crisis emerged, a freeze on any non-essential travel. The exceptions are mainly where there is substantial income directly dependent on a member of staff being present at an event. The university is active internationally, with partnerships in other countries and widespread student recruitment activity which is an essential and competitive market.”
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “The University of Dundee’s announcement of further job cuts is extremely disappointing. I appreciate how angry and upset staff will be. The voices of staff and trade unions must be front and centre in any decision making about the future of the institution.”
Wider Pattern of Spending
In May, the Sunday Mail revealed that the former boss of Scotland’s biggest university, Sir Anton Muscatelli, racked up nearly £100,000 in travel expenses in less than three years before stepping down from his £400,000-a-year role as principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Glasgow in September. Professor George Boyne, the £339,000-a-year vice-chancellor of Aberdeen University, claimed £53,957 in expenses, including £45,053 on flights between April 2023 and September last year. He stepped down in October. At Strathclyde University, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, who stepped down last August, claimed £59,300 in expenses over two years, with his remuneration package reaching £428,000 in 2025. Edinburgh University’s principal, Sir Peter Mathieson, who previously claimed not to know his own salary, received £421,667 while claiming £42,456 in foreign travel between 2022 and 2024.
