The carbon footprint from private jet travel grew 46% between 2019 and 2023 according to a new open-access study published in Communications Earth & Environment. The European research team calculated the sector’s CO₂ emissions using flight tracker data from the ADS-B Exchange platform for the period 2019 to 2023. Flight times for 25,993 private aircraft and 18,655,789 individual flights in 2019-2023 were linked to 72 aircraft models and their average fuel consumption.

Private aviation (PA) is the most energy-intense form of air transport, but its global scale, distribution, and energy intensity remain insufficiently understood. … PA has received attention because of its interlinkages with climate change and emission distributions. Users of PA 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 and a combined wealth of US$31 trillion.

Private aircraft can be owned, or accessed through demand chartering, membership programs, or fractional ownership. The sector has relevance for climate politics, as international aviation is not covered by efficient climate policies. While the scale and distribution of PA remain insufficiently understood, industry expectations point to continued growth.

—Gössling et al.

PA use is concentrated, with six countries accounting for more than 80% of aircraft. The US is home to about 4% of the world population, but 68.7% of all PA are registered in the country. Brazil has the second highest number (3.5%, 927 private aircraft), followed by Canada (2.9%, 770), Germany (2.4%, 630), Mexico (2.0%; 534), and the UK (2.0%; 522).

Per capita, Malta has by far the highest density of PA (46.5 per 100,000 residents), followed by the US (5.5), Switzerland (3.8), and Austria (2.9)

The researchers found that private aviation contributed at least 15.6 Mt CO₂ in direct emissions in 2023, or about 3.6 t CO₂ per flight. Almost half of all flights (47.4%) are shorter than 500 km.

Geospatial pattern of private aviation, 2023. Lines depict direct connections between city pairs, considering 4.3 million flights. Gössling et al.

Flight pattern analysis confirmed extensive travel for leisure purposes, and for cultural and political events. Regulation is needed to address the sector’s growing climate impact, the researchers concluded.

Global events attracting private air transport in 2023. From top left to bottom right: World Economic Forum, Super Bowl, Conference of Parties, Cannes; includes all air travel at dates of the event. Gössling et al.

Resources

• Stefan Gössling et al., Private aviation is making a growing contribution to climate change, Communications Earth & Environment (2024). doi: 10.1038/s43247-024-01775-z