Private jets get a bad rap. This company is trying to make them greener

Environmental groups have long criticized the private aviation sector for being a disproportionally large contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, and last week, climate activists made headlines by disrupting a private jet trade fair in Switzerland. Because they often travel shorter distances than commercial jets, private jets are generally less efficient, and their emissions per passenger are much higher. According to data from European non-profit Transport and Environment, private jets can be five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Yet the private aviation sector has seen considerable growth in recent years. A report by the Institute for Policy Studies revealed that it set industry records in 2021 and 2022, with the size of the global fleet growing by 133% since 2000. Research commissioned by Greenpeace showed that private jets in Europe alone emitted 3.39m metric tons of CO2 in 2022, roughly equivalent to the emissions from 753,000 gasoline-powered cars in the US driven for a year. But experts say the sector can still play a crucial role in the global fight against climate change, and some in the industry are looking at innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact. As a member of the IATA, along with other major commercial airlines, Dubai-based private aviation company Jetex is aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Launched in 2005 by CEO Adel Mardini, Jetex now has 750 employees based across dozens of private terminals around the world – including Dubai, Miami, Paris and Beijing. Through a partnership with oil company Neste, in 2021 Jetex started offering sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), made from renewable waste and residue raw materials, to passengers at its Helsinki Airport terminal. That same year at its Paris Le-Bourget Airport terminal, it began offering SAF produced by French company TotalEnergies, made from used cooking oil.<br/>