A-listers' private jets ranked by most polluting — with Taylor Swift's plane the worst


Hayley Skirka
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Taylor Swift's private jet has emitted more carbon than any other celebrity's plane, according to a new report from UK-based digital marketing agency Yard.

The private jet used by Swift, which is also rented by other people, has been in the air for 22,923 minutes this year, completing 170 flights with the shortest journey a 36-minute flight from Missouri to Nashville.

Emissions clocked up on the jet represent 1,184 times more than the average person’s total annual emissions.

But the singer isn’t admitting fault.

“Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals. To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect,” a representative for the singer told Rolling Stones magazine, which contacted all the celebrities on the list.

Yard said the rankings are based on the biggest offenders according to data on the Celebrity Jets Twitter account, which tracks private aircraft owned by A-listers, but admitted it was not conclusive.

The marketing company also confirmed that data was based on the planes and their time in the air, rather than whether celebrities were passengers on each of the recorded journeys.

According to the report, jets owned by A-listers have emitted an average of 3,376.64 tonnes of CO2 emissions so far this year. That's more than 480 times above the average person’s annual emissions.

Other top offending jets include ones used by Jay-Z, Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott and Oprah Winfrey.

A jet owned by boxing legend Floyd Mayweather is also among the worst culprits.

The sportsman ranked second after his jet emitted more than 7,000 tonnes of CO2 this year. Mayweather's $50 million plane has flown more times than any other on the list, averaging around 25 flights per month. The retired boxer also has the shortest trip in the ranking, with a 10-minute jaunt in Las Vegas.

“It’s easy to get lost in the dazzling lives of the rich and famous, but unfortunately, they’re a massive part of the CO2 problem we have with the aviation industry,” said Chris Butterworth, digital sustainability director at Yard.

“Research shows a vast divide between the super-rich and the rest of us regarding flights, travel, and even general emissions.”

The worst private jets used by celebrities

1. Taylor Swift

2. Floyd Mayweather

3. Jay-Z

4. Alex Rodriguez

5. Blake Shelton

6. Steven Spielberg

7. Kim Kardashian

8. Mark Wahlberg

9. Oprah Winfrey

10. Travis Scott

Kylie Jenner, who sparked a social media backlash last week after posting a picture of hers and Travis Scott’s planes on Instagram, didn’t rank in the top 10.

Instead, the reality TV star was the 19th worst celebrity for CO2 offences via private jet, but her partner rounded out the top 10.

Yard compiled the rankings by scraping data from Celebrity Jets, which was cross-compared to the general population’s CO2 emissions and each celebrity's CO2. It considers the number of flights each star's jet has taken, the average length of each flight, distance travelled and the total CO2 emissions created from flying since the start of 2022.

Earlier this week, Drake was called out after the same Celebrity Jets Twitter account revealed his Boeing 767 had taken multiple short flights, including one lasting only seven minutes.

The Canadian singer attempted to defend the flights, posting on Instagram that “This is just them moving planes to whatever airport they are being stored at for anyone who was interested in the logistics … nobody takes that flight.”

However, critics responded that empty flights were even worse for the environment, as the pollution created was even more futile.

Because they carry so few people, private jets are five to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, according to Transport and Environment, a clean transport campaign group in Europe.

The specs
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  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press

PROFILE OF SWVL

Started: April 2017

Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport

Size: 450 employees

Investment: approximately $80 million

Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

THE BIO

Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old

Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai

Favourite Book: The Alchemist

Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna

Favourite cuisine: Italian food

Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman

 

 

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES

Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan

The top two teams qualify for the World Cup

Classification matches 
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.

Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off

FIXTURES

Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl

Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Key facilities
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
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Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Match statistics

Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85

Eagles
Try:
Bailey
Pen: Carey

Exiles
Tries:
Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3

Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)

The%20specs
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The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

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Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

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Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Updated: June 23, 2023, 3:14 PM