A private jet took off in the UK every six minutes as the super rich forge ahead with the super-polluting means of transport amid the worsening climate crisis.
Shocking new data shows a 75% spike in the luxury means of travel in the UK in a year in which many saw their standard of living plunge.
Now the country is the European capital of private jet use, with the 90,256 flights last year emitting half a million tonnes of CO2 - more than in any other European nation.
Thousands of the flights were just a few short miles or between capitals such as London and Paris, which are very well connected with speedy trains that produce a fraction of the emissions per passenger.
The rise and rise of what is widely considered the most polluting form of transport comes amid increasingly stark warnings about the climate crisis from the likes of the IPCC, and the need for immediate action to cut emissions.
Klara Maria Schenk, lead transport campaigner with Greenpeace - which commissioned the research - told the Mirror that drastic action was needed.
"Private jets are not regulated in anyway, in the EU they are exempt from almost any kind of regulations to curb CO2 emissions," she told The Mirror.
"Our society has for a very long time neglected this problem, but we can't look away any more. We can't afford this approach anymore.
"In one year the emissions from private jets are equal to that of about 100,000 UK residents or 300,000 cars."
Klara called private jets "the epitome of inequality" and said they should be banned at a time in which many were being forced to turn off their heating and rely on foodbanks.
Banning all but the 6% of private jet flights used for medical issues in the UK would see the equivalent of 300,000 cars taken off the road in emissions terms.
At the same time as many struggle with inflation above 10% and four million children live in food poverty in the UK, wealthy Brits are flocking to a new chartered plane service for pets so they can whisk their dogs around in luxury.
The Greenpeace report, which was researched by Dutch environmental consultancy CE Delft, made a number of other shocking discoveries.
- Private jet flights in the EU27, UK, Norway and Switzerland increased by a staggering 64% compared to the previous year, from 350,078 flights in 2021 to 572,806 in 2022
- In 2022, private jet flights in Europe caused 3,385,538 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is equal to the average yearly CO2 emissions of 555,000 EU residents
- The emissions caused by private aviation in Europe last year alone, equals the average yearly CO2 emissions of 3.3 million people living in Africa
Six of Europe's top ten most frequented private jet routes in 2022 involve the UK, including the top two pairings, Paris-London and Nice-London.
Steve Versano, founder of the Jet Business - a sales showroom for luxury planes in west London - told the Mirror that 2022 was a "very strong year" for the industry.
"There has been more wealth created by people during Covid and it has pushed people higher," said Steve when asked why more and more jets were being sold.
The luxury aircraft salesman said the public's idea of jet-setting celebrities and Russian oligarchs was not the full picture when it came to private jets, and argued that they were essential for business.
"It's an important part of the corporation eco system, like people need a car to run their day to day life, corporations need these aircraft to get around the world and run their businesses more efficiently," he said.
"The general public doesn't comprehend how important these modes of transport are to make corporations run."
It is unclear why business people who hop on private jets can't use Zoom to run their businesses instead.
"They're very small forms of transportation," Steve continued.
"When you sit down you don't get up. Probably a third don't have toilets. They're not luxury. The general public is not educated enough about what this form of transportation actually is."
Doug Parr, Policy Director at Greenpeace UK, argues that stopping or significantly reducing frivolous private jet use is a crucial part of convincing those with less money to do their part to cut emissions.
"Private jets are staggeringly polluting and generally pointless," he said.
"Many of these journeys can be covered almost as quickly by train, and some of them by bicycle.
"Millions of people around the world are facing climate chaos, losing livelihoods or worse, while a tiny minority are burning jet fuel like there’s no tomorrow.
"If the government is serious about net zero and a fair transition to low-carbon transport then private jets should be first on the chopping block."
Steve described the idea that private jets were symbolically important as "nonsense".
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are committed to decarbonising aviation, and our Jet Zero Strategy sets out how we can achieve net zero emissions from UK aviation by 2050, without directly limiting demand.
"The UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuels programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world, and our £165m Advanced Fuel Fund is kickstarting production. Meanwhile, our recent reforms to the tax on air passengers will ensure those who fly private jets or fly the furthest contribute the most to the public purse.
"The UK is decarbonising faster than any other G7 country, and we remain committed to reaching net zero by 2050, while growing the economy and supporting hundreds of thousands of well-paid green jobs."
