A new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates that private jets produced up to 19.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, a 25% increase over the past decade and accounting for nearly 4% of all civil aviation emissions at their post-COVID peak.

This amount represents more greenhouse gases than from all flights, including commercial airliners, departing London Heathrow Airport in 2023.

The report fills a critical gap in understanding aviation’s environmental impact by providing the first detailed global mapping of private jet air and climate pollution. By combining global flight trajectory (ADS-B) data with publicly available emissions models, the ICCT’s research team spatially allocated more than 90% of private jet activity and emissions to airports and countries.

Private jets are a surprisingly large source of air and climate pollution. A typical private jet emits as many greenhouse gases each year as 177 passenger cars or nine heavy-duty highway trucks.

—Daniel Sitompul, Aviation Fellow at the ICCT

The report finds that flights departing US airports produced the most private jet pollution. Two-thirds (65%) of all private jet flights departed from US airports in 2023, accounting for more than half (55%) of GHG emissions globally.

Europe (EU27) is the second largest contributor, at 12% of private jet GHGs, with French flights emitting about one quarter. Eighteen of the 20 largest airports by private jet fuel use and emissions are located in the United States, including Los Angeles’s Van Nuys Airport, the third most polluting private airport in the world.

The findings come as the aviation industry faces increasing pressure to reduce pollution. Policymakers have begun debating regional and global measures to tax private jet emissions. The report estimates that a global tax of $1.59/gallon on fuels consumed by private flights could generate up to US$3 billion annually to support aviation decarbonization.

As wealth inequality explodes globally, policymakers have begun asking why private jet taxes are so low. Given the slow pace of technological progress, it’s reasonable to charge ultrawealthy travelers more for their pollution.

—Dan Rutherford, ICCT’s Senior Director of Research