A luxury airline executive says it's important to consider the impact of private jets.


According to the boss of a high-end airline, pet dogs are terrible for the environment.

Patrick Hanson, the CEO of Luxaviation, said that the animals are just as polluting as private aircraft to defend his own industry.

At a Financial Times summit, Mr. Hanson asserted that one of his customers' jets produced only 2.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, or about the same amount as three domestic dogs.

A labrador has an estimated 770 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide per year in its carbon footprint, according to estimations by author and carbon footprint specialist Mike Berners-Lee.

Due to their larger diets, larger dogs, such Great Danes, may produce as much as 2,500 kg of carbon dioxide annually.

Wet pet food produces eight times more emissions than dry food, according to a research published last year titled Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats, because it contains more meat.

Pets' carbon footprint is also increased by veterinarian appointments and plastic toys.

Trains emit half as much pollution as private aircraft.

Although there are no clear studies on whether animals may remain healthy on a plant-based diet, several green organisations advise vegan food for cats and dogs.

Many vegan celebrities, like Alicia Silverstone and Joaquin Phoenix, have switched their pets to a plant-based diet.

Over the following ten years, the market for vegan pet food is expected to grow by about 7%, according to consultancy Future Market Insights.

aboard 2021, Lewis Hamilton came under fire for being inconsistent after posting a photo of his vegan dog while purportedly travelling aboard a fancy plane.

The figure of 2.1 tonnes of CO2 seemed "suspiciously" low, according to Mr. Berners-Lee, and was probably only intended to account for brief flights made in small aircraft.

According to estimates from the environmental NGO Transport and Environment, a private jet can generate 2t of CO2 in an hour as opposed to the 8.2t of CO2 emitted by the typical person in Europe.

According to a research done by the group in 2021, private jets emit pollution 50 times higher than railways and 5 to 14 times higher than commercial aircraft per passenger.

Between 2005 and 2019, private jet emissions rose 31%, even as awareness of the effects of climate change spread.

Since the epidemic, their use has increased dramatically, increasing 14% between 2019 and 2022 as wealthier people attempted to dodge the new air travel limitations and hassles.

The usage of private jets "is not going away"


Rishi Sunak is one of many well-known people who have come under fire for using private planes. Earlier this year, the prime minister took four private jet excursions totaling £500,000 in less than a fortnight. The Liberal Democrats charged that the government was "trashing their own green promises" by doing so.

A Twitter account that calculated the emissions impact of various celebrities' flights went viral, forcing the pop sensation Taylor Swift to issue a statement emphasising that her private jet was frequently lent out to other people.

Climate demonstrators have disrupted private jet operations at airports across Europe, including one in Geneva on Tuesday. At Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport last year, hundreds of protesters prevented private planes from taking off. The airport made the announcement that private jets would be prohibited by 2026 five months later.

Private jet use was "not going away, because they provide a service of time" to wealthy people, Mr. Hansen said at the FT summit in Monaco.

Despite the fact that there aren't many sustainable aviation fuels available, he continued, the sector is aware of the criticism and is attempting to lessen its influence on emissions.

He did add, though, that for shorter trips, it was occasionally preferable to avoid flying.

We advise our clients not to take a flight from Paris to Lyon.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr. Hansen stated that the purpose of the remarks was "to put into perspective the actions of each and every one of us when it comes to CO2 emissions."

Of course, there wouldn't be any private jet CO2 emissions if nobody flew privately. And if nobody owned a pet, there would be no CO2 emitted during the making of pet food, the man added.

In its recommendations for 2020, the UK's citizens assembly on climate change, which was composed of representatives from a cross-section of society, called for a ban on private planes and a frequent flyer tax.

When the Telegraph enquired about the distance or number of trips taken by the customer referenced in his example, Luxaviation did not react right away.