This increase is also reflected in emissions which doubled last year to reach 3.3 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the average annual emissions emitted by 555,000 European Union residents. “This plane is capable of emitting two tons of CO2 in one hour. on average and 14 times more than commercial flights,” explained Transport&Environment in a report published in 2022. Meanwhile, the EBA defended itself with the argument that these flights only accounted for 0.04% of the total emissions released into the atmosphere.

Average 500 kilometers

Only a tenth of the total CO2 produced by this sector, however, is very expensive. “The average occupancy is usually four passengers and is often empty due to repositioning,” criticized T&E. Among the most common flights are the Geneva (Switzerland) and Paris (France) routes with more than 2,500 flights in 2022.

“We’re talking about short and ultra-short flights,” the Transportation & Environment researchers warn. The average flight, according to data from the European Business Association, is 500 kilometers and in most cases the cities have high-speed rail connections. This is the case of Geneva and Paris, but there are also other cases such as London and Paris, which are connected by train within a few hours.

A custom that was also repeated outside the Atlantic. Until Elon Musk arrived at the offices of Twitter, now renamed X, the CelebrityJets account monitored the travels and emissions of billionaires. Among them are the 36 minutes it took Taylor Swift to travel more than 500 kilometers by air that separates Missouri from Nashville in the United States or the 10 minutes used by boxer Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.

“It is time for us to end the use of private aircraft as the most unequal and polluting means of transportation. “A ban on private planes would be a good sign of justice for European citizens in the context of the current climate emergency,” they said from Greenpeace Spain.

Spanish is among the most common

To halt its progress, several countries in the European Union have attempted to reduce, limit or, outright, ban this type of transport within reach of some people. This issue has been discussed in Brussels on many occasions, but the European Commission, so far, has not taken steps on the legislative issue.

One proposal is to impose a tax on the use of kerosene, as is already happening in some community countries such as Italy. In the European Union, these types of flights are considered business flights, and just like commercial flights, they are exempt from fuel tax. In Brussels’ plan, dubbed Fit for 55, this tax states that if implemented, “325 million euros could be collected annually if applied to all flights leaving the EU and the UK,” T&E highlights. “Revenue generated in this way can be used to accelerate the decarbonization of the aviation sector,” they added.

Exclusive flights are available for some people. The clients of this type of service are usually artists, footballers, politicians, kings and millionaires and they have something in common: the Dassault Falcon 900EX, one of the most polluting turbine aircraft, according to several scientific studies.

This aircraft is the tenth aircraft with the most registered units in Europe and among them is the Kingdom of Spain with ships used by the Government for its travels.

Thus, last year, a total of 700,510 private flights crossed European skies with clearly defined origins and destinations. This year, so far, the number stands at 513,972 and Paris is the operations center of choice for these jets. The French capital accounts for almost 9% of private air traffic. In Spain, the Barcelona – Madrid route is the most frequently used route in Spain for private flights.

Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza are the two most used airports for this purpose and cover only 2% of private routes. However, Spain is one of the 5 countries with business travel, according to the association that unites this sector.

According to Greenpeace data, Spain recorded 45,633 private jet flights at its airports. “The figure is 8% of the total,” environmental organizations warned in March. In terms of emissions, these takeoffs, landings and journeys account for a total of 243,900 tonnes of CO2, “which is equivalent to the average annual CO2 emissions of 162,567 cars,” Greenpeace complains.

Currently, the European Commission is not considering limiting or eliminating this mode of transport. At the request of Austria, France, Ireland and the Netherlands, Adina Valean, European Transport Commissioner, responded in the summer: “We have no idea what to say on this issue. “We must let the sector develop its own decarbonization standards.”