Using private jets amid concerns over climate change has always been a hot topic. Indeed, Kylie Jenner came under fire for taking a 17-minute flight from Camarillo to Van Nuys, a trip that would have taken under an hour by car. In recent years, Taylor Swift has faced backlash over her private jet use. She is one celebrity who owns her own private jet, a Dassault Falcon 7X.

Celebrities are aware of the optics. A 21-year-old student named Jack Sweeney faced lawsuits over his Twitter account, which featured the private jet usage of celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Elon Musk. Which celebrities use private jets the most? Let’s take a look.

Celebrities and their (sometimes quite short) private jet flights

Taylor Swift argued that others used her private jets and not just herself, and she uses carbon offsetting to pay back for her emissions. She also sold one of her private jets. JetSpy data followed the activity of the private jets of 200 celebrities over an 11-year period. Their data showed that she was not the worst offender and that American rapper Pitbull used private jets 396 times in one year. His shortest flight was just six minutes from Miami International Airport to Opa Locka Executive Airport in February.

In their report, Travis Scott was second on the list with 203 flights; his shortest flight was just five minutes. Kim Kardashian came third and was also guilty of taking a short flight on the same route as her sister. Others on the list included Jay Z, Blake Shelton, John Travolta, Kylie Jenner, and Harrison Ford. In fact, Taylor Swift was much further down the list. This could be because of the lawsuit—Jack Sweeny was issued a ‘cease and desist’ letter to stop tracking her flights.

Photo: Boeing

Celebrities jetting to world events

The Super Bowl is always a significant event for private jet travel, but it also highlights its environmental impact. This year, 882 private jets arrived in Las Vegas for the event, the second-highest turnout in the event’s history, according to data from WINGX. The year before, 931 private jets descended on Glendale, Arizona.

This huge influx of luxury jets again sparked scrutiny and questioned the celebrities’ responsibility to cut their carbon footprint. Taylor Swift came under fire again for her flight from her concert in Tokyo to Las Vegas for the big game. A study by the Swiss organization Myclimate used flight trackers and social media posts to list flights and collect emissions data for 2023. These figures might, however, be low as they only consider the flights that are made public. They listed these celebrities with the most private jet carbon emissions:

(Data from Myclimate)

Celebrity Private Jet Tracker puts another spin on things. They collect data from Airplanes.live, ADSB.fi and ADSB Exchange. They say that former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, took the most flights in the last year with 502 flights in his Gulfstream G650, although, of course, he may not be considered to be of celebrity status. Elon Musk is next on the list, with his Gulfstream G650 (he also has a Gulfstream V), and has completed 323 flights in the last year to date. In third place currently is Bill Gates, again with the G650 and a total of 267 flights.

The latest information on the climate impact of celebrity private jet flights

A research team at Linnaeus University in Sweden quantified the global impact of private jets and found that emissions had soared in recent years and that some celebrity private jet flights emit more than 500 times as much carbon dioxide as a normal person does each year. From 2019 onwards, private jet emissions rose by 46% to 15.6 million tonnes of CO2, which is as much as the country of Nepal emits each year.

The study looked at a database of 26,000 private jets worldwide and some 18.7 million flights taken over a four-year period. They then determined the average fuel consumption of 72 different private jets and how much pollution was created. The group of celebrities they specifically looked at included:

• Taylor Swift
• Steven Spielberg
• Jay-Z
• Floyd Mayweather
• Kim Kardashian
• Blake Shelton
• Oprah Winfrey
• Alexander Rodriguez
• Mark Wahlberg
• Travis Scott

Their private jets emitted over 2,400 tonnes of CO2 last year alone, 558 times higher than the average person’s. The individual results were anonymous, but even the celebrity who least polluted the skies took 50 private jet flights, releasing 600 tonnes of CO2.

Unsurprisingly, large events such as the Super Bowl, the Davos World Economic Forum, the World Cup in Qatar, and the Cannes Film Festival attracted a lot of private jet use. Heads of state and government aircraft were not included in this study. Within Europe, Ibiza and Nice were hotspots, especially at weekends, suggesting a surge in leisure travel. This could raise questions as private jets are often considered a business cost and, therefore, are tax-deductible.

Half of the flights in Europe were under 500 kilometers, with the shortest being just 13 kilometers. Of course, the United States is the most concentrated space for private jet use. However, not all research is reliable as some aircraft cannot be tracked due to the Privacy ICAO Address (PIA) program that allows owners not to have their aircraft tracked. The study also assumed an average fuel consumption, so figures may be inaccurate.

Facts and figures in reality

In real terms, carbon emissions from private jets represent less than 2% of all global emissions, which is a relatively small number. However, with the popularity of business aviation in recent years and a rise in people using private jets for travel, CO2 emissions have increased by 46% in Europe, according to the European Federation for Transport and the Environment.

Most private jet trips are under 500 kilometers and often fly empty to reposition. Two-thirds of the world’s private jets are based in the United States, and the average passenger has a net worth of over $123 million. Private jets are only used by 0.003% of the world’s population, meaning they have significantly higher emissions per passenger than commercial travel. Even though the figure looks low, those in the public eye face scrutiny when they travel by private jet.

Other celebrity owners of private jets:

• Tom Cruise: Gulfstream GIV
• John Travolta: Boeing 707, Dassault Falcon 900, Boeing 737-300, Eclipse 500
• Harrison Ford: Cessna Citation Sovereign
• Donald Trump: Boeing 757
• Oprah Winfrey: Gulfstream G550, Bombardier Global Express XRS
• Mark Cuban: Gulfstream G550, Boeing 757
• Rupert Murdoch: Boeing 737, Gulfstream G550
• Jim Carrey: Gulfstream GV
• Kylie Jenner: Gulfstream G550
• Steve Wynn: Gulfstream G650
• Jackie Chan: Embraer Legacy 650
• Celine Dion: Bombardier Global Express XRS
• Dwayne Johnson: Bombardier Challenger 605, Gulfstream G550

Why private jet use is on the increase

It is understandable in the busy celebrity lifestyle that private jets offer a solution, especially in terms of saving time and privacy. However, for some celebrity figures, it can be seen as a status symbol and proves that they live a luxurious life, which doesn’t sit well with some people. The rapper Drake and the boxer Floyd Mayweather were accused of using their private jets to cover extremely short distances, and Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner for journeys that could be made in less than an hour by car.

Read More: What Type Of Private Jet Does Dr. Phil Fly?

It is often thought that private jets are mostly used by the rich and famous, but many business aviation clients are politicians or business leaders. They use them for confidentiality, security, and safety reasons. Business aviation is also known for its flexibility when the schedule changes at the last minute and time-saving ability. There are no more tedious waits at the airport or long queues. Smaller local airports can be used, and from arrival to boarding, it can take less than 30 minutes.

Post-pandemic, the popularity of private jet flying boomed and shows no signs of slowing down. When commercial aviation stopped, those who traveled business class or first class moved to private jets and never returned to commercial flights. The advantages of business aviation became apparent. With a rise in the number of UHNWIs and millionaires wanting to travel by private jet, celebrities and large corporations are not the only ones in the picture when it comes to traveling by private jet.

Related: Richard Branson’s Eclectic Private Aircraft Collection