French transport minister Clément Beaune has called for flights by private jets to be restricted because of their outsize contribution to climate change, joining an increasingly heated debate in France about measures needed to save energy and limit global warming.
“Without resorting to demagogy or launching ad hominem attacks, there are some behaviours that are no longer acceptable,” Beaune, who is close to president Emmanuel Macron, told Le Parisien newspaper at the weekend. “I think we should act to regulate flights by private jets.”
While there might be urgent business trips, private jet flights could not be taken “just for the comfort of individuals” given the efforts demanded of ordinary people by Macron, Beaune said.