The French government is considering restricting use of private jets, with proposals to include a ban on some flights.
French transport minister Clement Beaune told daily newspaper Le Parisien: “We should act to regulate flights on private jets. Some types of behaviour are no longer acceptable.”
Beaune said private jet flights could no longer be taken “just for the comfort of individuals” when the French government is calling for public sacrifices to address the energy crisis and global warming.
The government of recently re-elected president Emmanual Macron is considering imposing restrictions and raising taxes on private flights, and potentially banning flights to destinations served by rail or scheduled airlines.
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Companies could be required to publish details on the use of private aircraft.
In April, the French government imposed a ban on short-haul flights where there is a rail or bus alternative which takes two and a half hours or less.
The government will push for EU-wide action at an EU transport ministers’ summit in October.
One in 10 departing flights in France were by private jet in 2019, when a private flight can be many times more polluting than a flight on a scheduled airline.
However, data released by Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) highlights the fact that almost two-thirds (63%) of the world’s private jet fleet is in the US where there are 14,632 private jets.
Almost 38% of US private jets are categorised as heavy or long-range, 20% as mid-size and the remainder as ‘light’, with the state of Texas home to the largest number (1,651), followed by Florida (1,619) and California (1,431).
Airbus Corporate Jets commercial vice-president for North America Sean McGeough said: “The US business aviation sector is growing.
“In the first six months of 2022, the number of business aviation departures in the US was 15% higher than during the same period in 2019.”
He added: “We expect to see strong demand from owners of private jets looking to upgrade to newer models, and more potential first-time buyers of larger private jets.”
UK private jet charter company Hunt & Palmer reported record results for 2021, with turnover in excess of £80 million and business up by more than 30% on 2019. It said 2022 was “on course to exceed last year’s figures”.