“A private jet is the most polluting form of transport you can take,” says Matt Finch, the UK policy manager for Transport & Environment. “The average private jet emits two tonnes of carbon an hour. The average European is responsible for [emitting] eight tonnes of carbon a year.

Private jets are significantly more damaging to the environment on a "per passenger" basis than commercial aviation. Studies show that private aircraft are roughly 10 to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights and 50 times more polluting than trains. A single private jet can emit two tonnes of CO2​ in just one hour, which is a staggering figure considering the average global citizen emits about four tonnes in an entire year. This disparity exists because the massive fuel burn of a takeoff and cruise is shared among only a handful of people—sometimes just one—rather than hundreds. As of 2026, the private aviation industry is facing increasing pressure to adopt Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and invest in electric propulsion, but for now, they remain the most carbon-intensive form of travel available, often criticized as a "climate luxury" that contributes disproportionately to global warming.