The discussion began this summer in France and, as the consequences of global warming become apparent to everyone, flights in private jets came in for particular criticism. Twitter users gleefully disseminated the flight movements of French company bosses and millionaires and criticised, amongst others, luxury goods company LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault for travelling even short distances such as Paris to Brussels by private jet. The journeys to away matches of the players of the PSG football club were also highlighted, with one trip of around 380 kilometres made not by bus or train, but by jet. As a result, the French government loudly considered a general ban on private jet flights, with Transport Minister Clément Beaune demanding strict regulations on their use.

Now the issue is on the agenda at the meeting of EU transport ministers in Prague starting Thursday October 20, with environmental organisations urging action. Their argument is that a flight in a private plane from Vienna to Saint Tropez and back, for example, causes 80 per cent of the average annual emissions of a private person. They, therefore, call on the EU ministers to ban such flights, or at least impose strict regulations on them.

According to recent reports from France, however, the government is now backing away from a total ban on private jets, instead, a paraffin tax for these aircraft is being considered: an ecotax on the jet fuel used in commercial aviation. Whether such a tax will also be introduced in the EU is questionable.