The climate crisis does not prevent the take-off of private planes. On the contrary, they have never been so numerous in Europe, notes a study by the Dutch firm CE Delft published on Thursday 30 March. And among the countries where business aviation prospers, France occupies a place of choice, denounces the Greenpeace association. Enough to feed the critics when the deputies must examine Thursday, April 6, a bill from the environmental group aimed at banning private flights in France.
The data compiled by CE Delf, for the European branch of Greenpeace, includes all flights performed by aircraft not belonging to commercial airlines. However, the study does not take into account aircraft with less than three seats, which are more often used for leisure flights in flying clubs than for passenger transport. The figures, on the other hand, also include military flights and those carried out by medical aircraft, which, according to the European Business Aviation Association, represent around 15% of all private flights.
► France leads the 27
Among the 27 countries of the European Union, France had the most private flights in 2022, i.e. 84,885. This generated more than 380,000 tonnes of CO2either “ the average annual emissions of 85,133 French residents”deplores Greenpeace.
Germany comes in second, but quite far behind, with 58,424 flights. By broadening the spectrum a little outside the Union, it is the United Kingdom which stands out as the champion of private flights with more than 90,000 recorded last year.
This top three is hardly surprising, notes CE Delft, these countries being “ important European business centers”.
► A sharp relaunch since the pandemic
As in most European countries, private flights experienced a sudden air gap in France with the pandemic. Before a fanfare recovery. In 2020, the year of the peak of the epidemic, the study counts barely 18,461 movements of private jets. The number rose back to almost 55,000 in 2021. Before surpassing 84,000 last year.
The same phenomenon is found everywhere in Europe. After falling to less than 120,000 private flights in 2020, business aviation has taken off again with 350,000 movements recorded in 2021 and more than 570,000 in 2022.
► France, a popular crossroads for private flights
The three busiest air routes in Europe start or end in France. The most common connection is thus Paris-London or London-Paris. A journey where there is the Eurostar, which connects the two capitals almost ten times a day in less than 3 hours, notes CE Delft, who recalls that a train journey is “50 times less” CO emitter2 than a private flight.
The second busiest route for private jet users in Europe is between Nice and London. In third position comes the air route between Paris and Geneva. Again, regular high-speed train connections exist.
► Le Bourget, preferred airport
In France, Le Bourget airport, just ten kilometers from Paris, is the champion of business aviation with nearly 20,000 take-offs last year.
Nice airport, where private flights are more often in the tourism category, holds a solid second place, with 17,000 flights. Another airport in the South, Cannes, comes far behind, third with “only” 3,760 take-offs in 2022.
► Paris-Villacoublay, from vols de 13 km
The study which points to the shortest flights made in each country identified 23 flights last year between Paris and Villacoublay (Yvelines). A leap of barely 13 km. It is in fact certainly a movement of military flights. Villacoublay airport is the air force base where planes are stationed which are used to transport soldiers, but also for official trips by the President of the Republic or members of the government.
More surprisingly, the study reveals 11 flights between Lille airport and Mouscron airport in Belgium. An international flight of… 18 km! But the micro-connection most frequented by jets is located further south, between Nice and Cannes: 157 flights were operated in 2022 between these two airports less than 25 km apart.