Greens Demand Temporary EU Ban on Private Jets Amid Energy Crisis

The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has called for a temporary EU-wide ban on non-essential private jet flights during the current energy crisis. This demand comes as the EU faces a fuel shortage due to a kerosene supply squeeze from the war in the Persian Gulf.

In an April 22 letter, Lena Schilling and 20 group members urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas to implement the ban. They argue that private jet use is a wasteful consumption of fossil fuels by the ultra-rich, socially inequitable, and generates significantly higher CO₂ emissions per passenger compared to commercial aircraft or trains. Essential medical needs and critical government missions would be exempted.

The Greens want this restriction included in an upcoming catalogue of energy-saving measures, to be presented to energy ministers at an informal EU Council summit in Cyprus on May 13. A similar proposal to curb private jet use was rejected by the European Commission in 2023.