Game on, jets up: How major sporting events boost private jet travel – International Council on Clean Transportation

Private jet travel offers flexibility and convenience, but at a steep cost to the environment. In a recent study, we found that private jet activity generated 19.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO₂e) emissions globally in 2023; on average, over the course of a year, private jets produce the same amount of emissions generated by 177 passenger cars.  

Global sporting events are a well-known driver of private jet activity, as VIPs fly in from around the world to sit courtside, ringside, or trackside at the year’s highest-profile competitions. But just how much do these events contribute to private jet emissions, and are there suitable commercial flights eventgoers could have taken instead? 

To find out, I looked at three major sporting events in 2023: Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona; the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia; and the Monaco Grand Prix in the French Riviera. For each event, I tracked private jet activity at airports located within a 100 km radius, comparing it with typical activity at those airports throughout the rest of the year (Figure 1).