Private jet flights from UK increased by 75% in 2022

Investigation shows that these flights emitted half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide

Private jets took off from the UK every six minutes in 2022, with the total number of flights increased by 75% compared to 2021, according to an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace.

The research found that the UK can claim the busiest route, the most polluting route and the most flights overall, emitting more than half a million tonnes of carbon dioxide, the highest in Europe.

Private jet traffic across Europe surged by over 60% from 350,000 flights in 2021 to more than 570,000 in 2022, resulting in a doubling of associated carbon dioxide emissions to over 3.3 million tonnes, according to a study by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft.

Greenpeace has called for a ban on private jet travel – Klara Maria Schenk, the transport campaigner for Greenpeace’s Mobility for All campaign, has urged for a ban on private jets, citing the alarming growth of private jet flights as entirely at odds with climate science.

Schenk explained that reducing oil-powered transport is crucial to avert a “climate disaster” and that private jets are ultra-polluting and unnecessary.

It is estimated that more than 60% of the world’s oil is used for transport.

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