The use of “extravagant” private jets should be banned in Irish airspace, People Before Profit have argued. 

According to a 2016 study, private jets account for 4% of the aviation sector’s carbon emissions - despite the fact they account for a microscopic percentage of all flights. 

Private jets emit more carbon every year than the nation of Denmark and People Before Profit believe they should be banned for the sake of the planet. 

“A single private jet can omit two tons of CO2 while an average Irish person omits about 12.3 tons over an entire year - and that’s all of their carbon budget,” Bríd Smith told Newstalk. 

“In Ireland, in 2019 alone, we had nearly 6,000 private jets depart from this country and the emissions rose by nearly 31% from private jets across Europe.” 

A businesswoman preparing to board private jet at airport

The party is introducing legislation that would ban private jets from Irish airspace - although the bill contains a number of exceptions.

“In the use of training pilots, for national security, for medical evacuations, for private jets belonging to the State that are exclusively assigned to a public sector issue,” Deputy Smith said. 

“So, there are exceptions to it but private jets for the use by private people for their extravagance would be completely unacceptable to us.” 

'More efficient aircraft'

Speaking at the Council of Europe in Iceland, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the aviation sector accounted for only a small percentage of Ireland’s carbon emissions. 

"The solution into the future is more efficient aircraft but also the development of synthetic or sustainable aviation fuels, and I want us to be a leader in doing exactly that,” he said. 

In the final three months of 2022, Ireland’s carbon emissions rose 12.3% and the World Meteorological Organisation has predicted the planet is on track to warm 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Main image: A private plane. Picture by: Alamy.com