In 2022, one in three flights from Schiphol or Haye-Rotterdam airport was used for a journey of less than 500 km. The NGO Greenpeace requests their prohibition.
Le Monde with AFP
During the first nine months of 2022, some 16,147 private flights have been made since and to Schiphol and Rotterdam airports in the Netherlands, more private flights than throughout 2019, Before the pandemic, demonstrated, Thursday, October 19, a study by the environmental organization Greepeace.
The increasingly frequent use of this luxury transport is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of nearly 40,000 cars per year.
“We are shocked that in period of climate crisis, a certain group began to fly not less but more in private jets which are the most polluting,” said Dewi Zloch, expert in climate and energy at Greenpeace Netherlands. “We have to stop that, so we plead for the ban on private flights,” she added, cited in a press release.
destinations “easily accessible by train”
The study conducted by the Dutch environmental reflection group This DELFT also showed that in three private flights from Schiphol in Amsterdam or the Haye-Rotterdam airport was used for routes less than 500 kilometers.
“Popular destinations include Paris and even Antwerp, cities easily accessible by train,” described Greenpeace. “The most popular flights are towards destinations like Mallorca, Ibiza and Cannes,” added the organization.
Greenpeace stressed that private flights are not included in the climatic objectives set by the Dutch government and are not included in the maximum of 440,000 flights per year set for 2023 at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
“This exception for private jets shows exactly what is wrong with the aeronautical industry,” added M me zloch. “We want the aeronautical industry to stop polluting and finally has climatic objectives.”
“The first step is to remove short flights and luxury private jets for the rich”, according to M me zloch.
Passengers traveling in business class also occupies a lot of space in planes. According to the study, if the business class was replaced by regular seats, many more passengers could take place in the devices.