Private jet carbon emissions soar 46 percent, finds a study

LONDON

The carbon footprint from private jet travel grew 46 percent between 2019 and 2023 and will keep rising unless the ultra-luxury industry is regulated, according to a new research.

Carbon dioxide emissions from private aviation peaked over the European summer and around major global events like the World Cup, Cannes Film Festival and U.N. climate summits, the study found.

The transport of choice for the rich and famous, private jets are the most energy-intense form of flying and the industry has long been a target of climate protesters.

Private aviation was responsible for 15.6 million tons of CO2 emissions in 2023, said the study.

This represented less than two percent of commercial aviation's overall carbon emissions.

But private jets cater to just 256,000 people, about 0.003 percent of the world's adult population, meaning significantly higher emissions per passenger than commercial travel.

Researchers assessed flight tracker data from roughly 18.7 million individual charters flown between 2019 and 2023 representing the vast majority of global private aviation.

They found roughly half these trips were less than 500 kilometres and many were empty, en route to pickup or undertaking a delivery.

They also noted that private jets on very short trips "in many instances appear to replace cars for time gains or convenience."

Around two-thirds of the world's private jets are based in the United States, and the average passenger has a personal net worth of $123 million.

The private jet industry is forecast to grow, with predictions the current fleet of 26,000 aircraft could grow roughly one-third by 2033.