Emissions due to private aviation surged by 46% in the last 5 years: Study

Private aviation contributed at least 15.6 million tonnes of carbon-di-oxide (CO2) in direct emissions in 2023 or about 3.6 t CO2 per flight, found a study published in Communications Earth & Environment, on November 7, 2024. These emissions amount to 1.7 per cent to 1.8 per cent of commercial aviation’s CO2 emissions. 

Almost half of all flights (47.4 per cent) are shorter than 500 km. Private aviation is concentrated in the US, where 68.7 per cent of the aircraft are registered. Emissions increased by 46 per cent between 2019-2023.

As the analysis of travel patterns shows, 18.9 per cent of flights are short ( less than 200 kilometres), and many are empty, delivery, or pickup flights. 

Private aviation was used routinely, and in many instances appeared to replace cars for time gains or convenience — this is evident from the 4.7 per cent share of very short flights below 50 km. 

As seasonal and weekly arrival peaks in popular holiday destinations show, many flights are made for leisure purposes as well as for cultural and political events.

Private aviation concentrated in US

Private aviation use is concentrated with six countries accounting for more than 80 per cent of aircraft. Around 68.7 per cent of all PA are registered in the US.

Brazil has the second highest number of private aircraft (3.5 per cent or 927 ), followed by Canada (2.9 per cent or 770), Germany (2.4 per cent, 630), Mexico (two per cent or 534), and the United Kingdom (two per cent or 522). 

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

Thus, most of the air traffic is taking place within the United States, followed by Europe. Central American capitals — Mexico city, Guatemala city, San José, and Panama city, as well as the Caribbean (Turks and Caicos, Anguilla, Barbados, Cancun) are highly frequented, as is the Middle East. 

Private air transport is less common in China and Southeast Asia, Oceania, Central and South America, except Brazil and individual capital cities like Caracas, Bogota, Montevideo and Buenos Aires. 

There appears to be limited private air transport in all of Africa, with the exception of South Africa and Nigeria. 

Some islands attract much air transport, including the Hawaiian Islands, Caribbean, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, as well as some remote destinations, including Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, or French Polynesia. 

There are also notable concentrations of air transport in specific areas — the Miami area alone accounts for six per cent of all PA departures.

Events attract considerable air transport activity

Global events attracted private air transport in 2023, the study showed. Global events and conferences taking place in 2023, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (January 16-20), the Super Bowl in Arizona, US (February 12), the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai (November 30 – December 12), and the Cannes Film Festival in France (May 16-27) attracted considerable air transport activity.

Events attract hundreds of individual flights, and generate considerable emissions, ranging from 1.5 kt CO2 (Super Bowl) to 14.7 kt CO2 (FIFA Qatar).

The analysis showed that individuals using private jets emit disproportionately more than an average human. This illustrates the sector’s relevance from distributional per capita viewpoints, and its relevance for climate policy, the study pointed out.

The study provides an understanding of global private aviation’s role in climate change. The researchers calculated the sector’s CO2 emissions, using flight tracker data from the ADS-B Exchange platform for the period 2019 to 2023.

Stefan Gössling, School of Business and Economics Linnaeus University, Sweden led the study. The research only assessed direct emissions from fuel use in flight, the full impact of private aviation on climate change would have to consider the time aircraft spend taxiing, or support services such as helicopters used to reach final destinations.

In the future, private aviation will become even more relevant.

The Honeywell Global Business Aviation Outlook projects 8,500 new business jet deliveries in the next decade (2024–2033).

Private aviation would thus become increasingly important as a source of emissions in relative (share of global emissions) and absolute terms (sector’s total emissions).

As sustainable aviation fuel use remains limited, and a majority of private aircraft owners do not plan to use it in the near future, it would be necessary to regulate the sector.