THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Environmental group Greenpeace said Thursday that polluting flights by luxury jets from Dutch airports were skyrocketing, with a recent study showing emissions equivalent to almost 40,000 cars per year.
The study conducted by Dutch environmental thinktank CE Delft also showed that one out of every three private flights from Schiphol or Rotterdam The Hague Airport were used for trips shorter than 500 kilometres (311 miles).
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"We are shocked that in times of a climate crisis a certain group has started flying not less but more in private jets that are the most polluting," said Dewi Zloch, a climate and energy expert at Greenpeace Netherlands.
"Popular destinations include Paris and even Antwerp, cities easily reached by train," Greenpeace added in a statement.
"The most popular flights are to destinations like Mallorca, Ibiza and Cannes," it added, saying some 16,147 private flights were made to and from Schiphol and Rotterdam.
Greenpeace pointed out that private flights did not fall under climate targets set out by the Dutch government and did not fall under a maximum of 440,000 flights a year set for 2023.
"This exception for private jets shows exactly what is wrong with the aviation industry," added Zloch, calling for it to "stop polluting and finally have climate targets."
"The first step is to scrap short flights and luxury private jets for the wealthy", Zloch said.