Ellen Phiddian
Cosmos science journalist
Private jets are emitting millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – and the number is growing dramatically, according to a new study.
The study, published in Communications Earth and Environment, finds a 46% increase in emissions from the private jet industry between 2019 and 2023.
In 2023, the industry emitted at least 15.6 million tonnes of CO2 – a number comparable to the entire output of countries like Nepal and Tanzania. It represents 1.8% of total emissions from commercial aviation for the year.
The researchers say that the private aviation sector needs to be regulated to curb its emissions.
“Users of private aviation have been described by industry as the ‘ultra-high net worth’, including about 256,000 individuals, or 0.003% of the global adult population, owning an average of US$123 million [A$188 million],” write the researchers in their paper.
The team analysed data from 18,655,789 flights made by 25,993 private aircraft from 2019-23.
In 2023, nearly half of the flights (47.4%) were less than 500km in distance, while 4.7% were less than 50km.
More than two thirds (68.7%) of the private aircraft were registered in the USA, where most of the air traffic happened, followed by Europe.
The team also found that some world events attracted more private flights, such as the World Economic Forum in Davos, the COP28 climate conference, the Cannes Film Festival, and the FIFA World Cup.
“The events studied have political, economic, cultural, and sports foci, yet are frequented by the same aircraft,” write the researchers.
Over the 5-year period, private flights grew by 28.4% and distances flown grew by 53.5%, prompting an emissions growth of 46.0%.
“As sustainable aviation fuel use remains limited, and a majority of private aircraft owners do not plan to use it in the near future, it will be necessary to regulate the sector,” write the researchers.
“The analysis shows that individuals using private aviation emit disproportionally more than an average human.”
The researchers also warn that their analysis might be harder to do in future, because of the growing use of Privacy ICAO Addresses: a US program which allows private aircraft to hide their identities in the public database they’re using.
