Wednesday, October 2, 2024 Private jet travel has surged in recent years, prompting environmental concerns highlighted in a recent report from Greenpeace. The data reveals a significant increase in flights to popular European vacation destinations during peak travel seasons. While many private jet users justify their carbon-intensive choices as essential for business, the report suggests that a substantial portion of these flights is linked to leisure activities.
In 2023, nearly 118,000 flights were recorded to 45 luxury destinations , resulting in approximately 520,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The summer months saw the most dramatic increase, with private jet arrivals soaring by 250 percent in July compared to January, indicating that many of these journeys were for recreational purposes rather than business. Warm-weather destinations in the Mediterranean experienced 3.
5 times more private jet arrivals during the summer, with popular spots such as Malaga , Naples , and Athens witnessing peak visitor numbers that mirrored those of traditional commercial flights. As the seasons changed and temperatures dropped, private jet travel shifted to the Alpine region, with Geneva , Salzburg , and Klagenfurt seeing increased demand. Among the destinations, Geneva , Nice Côte d’Azur , and Palma de Mallorca ranked as the top three for private jet arrivals last year.
The report also revealed that of the 117,965 flights analyzed, nearly 12 percent covered short distances of up to 250 ki.