Call for action over UK’s ‘absurd’ use of private jets

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The UK has more private jet flights to European holiday hotspots than any other country, according to a new study.

Environmental charity Greenpeace, which commissioned the research, urged the Government to ban the aircraft as their carbon emissions are contributing to a “climate crisis” featuring “deadly floods and heatwaves”.

The report looked at private jet flights to 45 European airports near popular destinations last year.

Some 12,702 out of the total of 117,965 were from the UK. This 10.8% share was larger than any other country.

France was in second place at 10.7%, followed by Italy with 8.9%.

The analysis, conducted by Germany-based T3 Transportation Think Tank, found a spike in private aircraft traffic during the summer, indicating the jets are often being used for holidays rather than business.

The most common destination included in the analysis for private jet flights from the UK last year was Nice in the south of France (2,642 flights).

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That was followed by Geneva, Switzerland (1,953 flights); Palma de Mallorca, Spain (1,140 flights); and Malaga, Spain (1,015 flights).

Hiring a private jet generally costs several times the price of a seat on a regular commercial aircraft.

Benefits generally include quicker security and border checks, enhanced onboard service and more control over take off and landing times.

The thousands of flights originating in the UK last year caused around 67,000 tonnes of CO2, according to the analysis, even without taking account of return journeys.

Greenpeace UK climate campaigner Georgia Whittaker said: “While the super-rich take their private jets to their yachts and mansions on the French Riviera, people on the ground keep feeling the impacts of deadly floods and heatwaves fuelled disproportionately by the wealthy.

“This absurd level of private luxury for the few is helping to create a public disaster for the many. We can’t go on like this.

“To tackle both growing inequalities and the climate crisis, the UK Government should ban polluting private jets and impose a wealth tax on the super rich.

“The extra revenue from that could fund measures that would both cut planet-heating emissions and make transport and energy bills cheaper for ordinary people.”