should private jet flights be banned?

In recent weeks, pressure has continued to increase on users of private jets whose thefts are tracked on social networks, like Bernard Arnault, boss of LVMH whose carbon footprint is denounced by the Instagram account @laviondebernard. Enough to become aware of the impact of this type of air travel, while the summer was more than ever marked by heatwaves, increased drought and numerous forest fires.

Private planes on average 10 times more polluting than commercial planes

As reported in a detailed report published in 2021 by the NGO Transport et Environment, flights in private jets turn out to be “ 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes (per passenger) and 50 times more polluting than trains “. Thus, in just one hour of travel, a private jet would be able to emit two tonnes of CO2 (depending on its size and weight). For comparison, a French person would emit on average 10 tonnes of CO2 over the course of a year.

On June 2, the Instagram account @laviondebernard made public the carbon footprint of Bernard Arnault’s private jet: 176 tonnes of CO2… just for the month of May 2022. A carbon footprint that would be roughly equivalent to that of a French person… over 17 years.

Read also: Bernard Arnault’s private jet: a staggering carbon footprint, but there are worse things

Faced with such an observation, no one can deny the impact of private plane flights in terms of pollution, especially when we know that Just 1% of the world’s people are responsible for half of global aviation emissions. In addition, the same study by the NGO Transport and Environment points to another problem: the circulation in the air of private jets that are often empty, or carrying very few passengers.

Moreover, these private planes are most of the time only used over short distances : less than 500 kilometers. An observation that should not get better. Still according to this same study, CO2 emissions caused by private jets increased by 31% between 2005 and 2019, while those of European commercial flights increased by 25%. “ If this trend continues, emissions from private flights in 2050 will have doubled compared to 2010 data. », estimate the authors of the study.

A trend that the health crisis linked to Covid-19 has favored, pushing new customers to opt for private flights rather than commercial flights. The study thus estimates that by 2030, the private jet sector could create even more excitement.

Private jet flights soon to be regulated by the government?

Enough to fuel the controversy on social networks and push the political class to speak out on this subject. If the NGO Transport and Environment recommends a tax on tickets and fuel for private jets, in order to “ take into account their disproportionate impact on the climate », Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport, recently assured in the columns of Parisian to want regulate private jet flights. A file he wishes to tackle as soon as ministers return to school, as part of the “sobriety plan” prepared by the government.

For Julien Bayou, co-president of the environmental group in the Assembly, private planes should simply be banned. In the columns of Liberationthe national secretary of the Greens says he wants to table a bill in the fall to ground private jets. Personal planes have become symbols of two-speed social justice. Indeed, how can we ask everyone to move towards more sobriety, when the State itself uses this type of flight for its travel?

Will banning private jets really “cool the planet?” »

In reality, private jet pollution hides a more complex reality. While it is not a question of denying the impact of this type of displacement on the climate, on a global scale, flights in personal planes represent only 0.2% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore a small part, which although very polluting, is by far not the most consuming in terms of aviation fuels.

So, according to a study published in 2020private jets are responsible for 4% consumption of aircraft fuel (mostly kerosene), compared to 71% for commercial flights. The rest being used 17% by freight and 8% by military aviation. And unlike commercial flights, precisely establishing the environmental impact of this type of aviation is more difficult, since it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the aircraft, the frequency and duration of flights and the exact number of passengers on board.

In addition, if state flights and medical evacuations would concern 10% of private jet trips, 80% would be due to professional missions carried out by managers, engineers, technicians, or salespeople, reports the European Business Aviation Organization (EBAA). A question then arises: if the restriction, or even the ban on private jet flights is adopted, will it be necessary to extend it to all travel, even those for professional purposes? “ These are commercial transports, they create jobs, so it is not a question of banning them », defended Olivier Véran on this subject, on August 23 at the microphone of France Inter.

Moreover, ” individual, private use of the private jet is a very small part of the jetwhich is itself a very small part of the use of the plane, which represents a very small part of CO2 emissions », argued the government spokesperson. In fact, greenhouse gas emissions generated by air transport in France amounted to 10.3 million tonnes in 2020. The problem is therefore much more global. “ It’s not the ban on private jets that will suddenly cool the planet », Judged Olivier Véran on this subject, considering however that “ symbols are important » and that European consultation can make sense.

Government spokesperson Olivier Véran, on the question of the regulation of private jets: “In the vast majority of cases, they are commercial transport, it creates jobs. But the symbols are important, and consultation European can have its meaning.” pic.twitter.com/8cNQ8bJdUH

— France Inter (@franceinter) August 23, 2022

If it is clear that private aviation must, just like other sectors, make efforts at a time when every citizen is called to do so; why point the finger at a particular segment of users, when that of travelers – much more frequent – ​​on commercial flights is not equally so?

Would it be better not to consider, as recommended by the NGO Transport and Environment, a tax on tickets and fuel for private jets ? A tax then adapted to the weight of the plane and the distance traveled, all the more judicious as in France, “ the tax rate on private jet fuel is 35 to 40% lower than that of gasoline, which provides a tax advantage for wealthy people compared to those traveling by car or train », Reports the NGO.

Transport and Environment believes that the establishment ofa tax on keroseneproportional to the distances traveled and applicable on flights departing from the EU and the United Kingdom, would make it possible to report 325 million euros. So much money to reinvest in the fight against global warming.

It remains that the symbol of private jets remains powerfulespecially since the Climate and Resilience Law provides for the ban on commercial plane travel for the average citizen, when an alternative by train allows the same journey to be made in less than two and a half hours. A law which, in reality, however, changes practically nothing, since it does not prohibit airlines (even less than 2h30 by train) if they have a connection rate greater than 50%… But in these times of energy crisis, the subject of air transport, whether commercial or private, is crystallizing especially since it remains the prerogative of a minority of the wealthiest people. So, only 10% of the world’s population flies each year.

And you, what do you think? Should we regulate and/or tax private jet flights or simply ban them? We let you have the floor in our weekly survey.