Major events lead to huge increases in private jet travel

Major events such as the 2023 Super Bowl in Arizona, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in France, the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have been linked to significant emissions peaks from private aviation.

Flight pattern analysis showed that the 2022 FIFA World Cup had the highest number of private flights among the events studied, with 1,846 private flights linked to the event producing 14,700 metric tonnes of carbon. COP 28, a conference focused on climate action, was attended by 291 private flights producing 3,800 metric tons of carbon.

The researchers also found a seasonal trend, peaking in the summer months and concentrated in places like Ibiza on weekends; Spain; and Nice, France, show private aviation used for leisure travel.

The number of private flights is increasing

According to the research, overall private aircraft emissions have increased over the past few years, with a 46 percent increase in carbon emissions between 2019 and 2023. It is stated that some of this growth may be linked to the Covid-19 epidemic. Stefan Gosslinggeographer and study author at Linnaeus University in Sweden.

Since commercial aviation was not available early in the COVID-19 pandemic, those who could use private aviation likely used it as an alternative.