The federal government was clearly serious when it said it wanted to get Canadian Brenda Martin out of a Mexican jail as quickly as it could.

Correctional Services Canada chose the speediest — and most expensive — method to transfer Martin to Canada, a Challenger jet.

How expensive? $82,787.

That's the amount that Fox Aviation, a Montreal-based firm, is billing the government for the chartered flight. The invoice includes 10+ hours of navigation and incidentals such as landing and air fees, and parking.

CSC said the decision to order a Challenger was made based on a number of factors including availability, security and the location of the offender. Clearly, Ottawa was also considering the emotional state of Martin who had been languishing in a Mexican jail for two years before she was convicted and who has been routinely described as distraught and suicidal.

There are three types of air travel available to CSC when it needs to transfer prisoners across international boundaries: an RCMP plane, charters and commercial flights.