The number of intra-European private flights has skyrocketed since the Covid pandemic, according to a study by the Danish environmental firm CE Delft commissioned by Greenpeace. Some roads are especially busy and between them are two major French cities.
What are the favorite routes of private jet users on the continent? Two French cities take most of the ranking: Paris and Nice.
The routes that connect London, Paris, Nice and Geneva are the busiest, highlighting the English capital as the largest private aviation hub on the continent.
On the airport side, Nice Côte d’Azur and Paris-Le Bourget respectively occupy the first and second place on the podium of those that hosted the most private flights in 2022 with 34,710 and 33,496 flights.
The number of private flights increased by 64% in 2022
The study examines the number of private flights and the resulting CO2 emissions.
572,806 is the number of intra-European private flights registered by CE Delft in 2022, that is, 64% more than in 2021 and almost 5 times more than the 118,756 registered in 2020.
In 2020 in particular, numerous travel restrictions and lockdowns led to a record drop in flights globally, resulting in relatively low numbers for 2020 and an increase thereafter.
If we only look at France, the number of flights jumped from 54,742 in 2021 to 84,885 in 2022, an increase quite similar to that observed at the European level.
The European commercial aviation association fights back
The study analyzes in detail the resulting CO2 emissions. Private jets emit 5 to 14 times more CO2 emissions per passenger than commercial flights, according to Transport & Environment (T&E), an NGO that campaigns for cleaner transport. In addition, direct train connections, which pollute 50 times less than jets according to T&E, are available on several busy private jet routes.
In 2022, the CO2 emissions generated by private aviation in Europe more than doubled to 3,385,538 tonnes, according to the report.
The European Business Aviation Association, or EBAA, defended itself in a press release. According to the association, the data is “incorrect” because it leaves out the figures prior to Covid.
The EBAA cites Eurostat figures indicating that business aviation in Europe increased by 7% between 2019 and 2022, while it notes a stagnation in the first months of 2023.
Source: BFM TV
