Free tool · Emissions
Private jet emissions calculator
Fuel and CO2 for a private flight, per passenger and beside an airline seat. Estimates from published factors, cited below.
CO2, whole trip · estimate
7.95tonnes
New York to Miami in a Bombardier Challenger 350: 1.99 t for each of 4, from 827 gallons of Jet A.
- Distance
- 1,092 mi
- Flight time
- 2h 30m nonstop
- Fuel
- 5,544 lb
- Fuel bill at $7.66/gal
- about $6,338
- Flights
- 1, one way
Bombardier Challenger 350330 gal/hr · 10 seats
CO2 per passenger, same trip
14× an airline seat
- Private, Bombardier Challenger 3504 aboard1.99 t
- Airline seat, same tripEPA medium haul factor141 kg
- Driving alone, same milesEPA passenger car factor324 kg
Driving uses the straight-line miles; roads run longer.
Change the picture
Up to 50% under ASTM D7566, at a 50% lifecycle cut (the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge target).
To offset it, retire about 8.0 t of verified carbon credits. How offsets and SAF work
Reference
Private jet CO2 per hour, by size and model
Fuel burn per flight hour from our ownership-cost data, converted at 9.60 kg of CO2 a gallon. Per seat assumes every seat is filled, the best case.
| Aircraft | Fuel per hour | CO2 per hour | Seats | CO2 per seat-hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurbopropMedian of 3 models | 80 gal · 536 lb | 768 kg | 6 | 128 kg |
| Very light jetMedian of 11 models | 90 gal · 603 lb | 864 kg | 4 | 216 kg |
| Light jetMedian of 34 models | 181 gal · 1,213 lb | 1.74 t | 6 | 290 kg |
| Midsize jetMedian of 26 models | 242 gal · 1,621 lb | 2.32 t | 7 | 332 kg |
| Super-midsize jetMedian of 13 models | 263 gal · 1,762 lb | 2.53 t | 8 | 316 kg |
| Large jetMedian of 28 models | 286 gal · 1,916 lb | 2.75 t | 10 | 275 kg |
| Ultra-long-range jetMedian of 13 models | 419 gal · 2,807 lb | 4.02 t | 13 | 310 kg |
| Pilatus PC-12 NGXTurboprop | 55 gal · 369 lb | 528 kg | 10 | 53 kg |
| Cessna Citation M2Very light jet | 120 gal · 804 lb | 1.15 t | 6 | 192 kg |
| Embraer Phenom 300ELight jet | 158 gal · 1,059 lb | 1.52 t | 10 | 152 kg |
| Cessna Citation XLS+Midsize jet | 210 gal · 1,407 lb | 2.02 t | 9 | 224 kg |
| Bombardier Challenger 350Super-midsize jet | 330 gal · 2,211 lb | 3.17 t | 10 | 317 kg |
| Gulfstream G450Large jet | 465 gal · 3,116 lb | 4.47 t | 16 | 279 kg |
| Gulfstream G650Ultra-long-range jet | 475 gal · 3,183 lb | 4.56 t | 19 | 240 kg |
| Bombardier Global 7500Ultra-long-range jet | 460 gal · 3,082 lb | 4.42 t | 19 | 233 kg |
Every model with a published fuel burn is in the calculator above. Fuel burn varies with weight, altitude and weather; these are averages across a flight.
Examples
Private jet vs. airline seat on well-known routes
One way, 4 passengers, the jet size each route usually calls for (the same pick as our route-cost pages), against an airline seat at EPA's factor for the flight's length.
| Route | Jet size | Flight time | CO2, whole jet | Per passenger | Airline seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles to Las Vegas229 miles | Light jet | 50m | 1.41 t | 352 kg | 47 kg (7×) |
| New York to Palm Beach1,038 miles | Midsize jet | 2h 25m | 5.69 t | 1.42 t | 134 kg (11×) |
| New York to Aspen1,729 miles | Midsize jet | 3h 55m | 9.01 t | 2.25 t | 223 kg (10×) |
| New York to Los Angeles2,450 miles | Super-midsize jet | 5h 15m | 13.3 t | 3.32 t | 399 kg (8×) |
| Miami to Nassau185 miles | Light jet | 45m | 1.24 t | 310 kg | 38 kg (8×) |
Method
How we calculate
Four steps, each with a published factor. Change any input above and the same steps run again.
- Distance. The great-circle (shortest) distance between the two airports. Over 3,000 nm a super-midsize jet needs a fuel stop; each aircraft's practical range decides its stops (85% of a model's published maximum, the class figure for a jet size).
- Flight time. Distance divided by the jet size's typical block speed (for example 390 knots light, 430 super-midsize, 450 large), plus 0.3 hours a leg for taxi, climb and descent. The same formula as our route-cost pages.
- Fuel. Flight time times the aircraft's average fuel burn in gallons an hour, from our ownership-cost data (for a jet size, the median of the models we cover in it). Gallons times 6.7 lb, times 0.4536 for kilograms.
- CO2. Kilograms of fuel times 3.16: about 9.60 kg a gallon (EPA's own factor for jet fuel is 9.75, within 2%). Per passenger divides the whole trip, empty flight included, by the people aboard. The airline seat is the same miles times EPA's CO2 per passenger-mile.
| Factor | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 per kg of jet fuel | 3.16 kg | ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator Methodology, Version 13.1 |
| Jet A weight | 6.7 lb per U.S. gallon | FAA, Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (FAA-H-8083-1B), Figure 3-46.68 lb at 59 °F, rounded |
| CO2 per gallon (derived) | 9.60 kg | U.S. EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Tables 2 and 106.7 × 0.4536 × 3.16; EPA lists 9.75 kg |
| Airline seat, short haul (under 300 miles) | 0.207 kg CO2 per passenger-mile | U.S. EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Tables 2 and 10 |
| Airline seat, medium haul (300 to 2,300 miles) | 0.129 kg CO2 per passenger-mile | U.S. EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Tables 2 and 10 |
| Airline seat, long haul (2,300 miles and over) | 0.163 kg CO2 per passenger-mile | U.S. EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Tables 2 and 10 |
| Fuel burn per hour | By model | Our ownership-cost pages (average across a flight); a jet size uses the median of its models |
| Block speed and practical range | By jet size | Our route-cost assumptions (editorial, set to err long) |
Sources
- ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator Methodology, Version 13.1 (August 2024): 3.16 kg of CO2 per kg of jet fuel burned.
- FAA, Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook (FAA-H-8083-1B), Figure 3-4 (2016): Jet A weighs 6.68 lb per U.S. gallon at 59 °F (we use 6.7).
- U.S. EPA, GHG Emission Factors Hub 2025, Tables 2 and 10 (January 2025): Commercial air travel CO2 per passenger-mile by flight length; passenger car CO2 per vehicle-mile; 9.75 kg CO2 per gallon of jet fuel as a cross-check.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (2026): SAF blend limits (10% to 50% by pathway, ASTM D7566) and the SAF Grand Challenge's 50% lifecycle target.
Offsets and SAF
Reducing or offsetting a private flight
Two different things: SAF cuts the emissions of making the fuel; offsets pay for a cut somewhere else.
Sustainable aviation fuel
Blended with Jet A at up to 50% under ASTM D7566 (10% to 50% by production pathway). It burns like Jet A, so the CO2 above barely changes; the saving is over the fuel's life cycle. The U.S. SAF Grand Challenge targets at least a 50% lifecycle cut. Ask the operator whether SAF is available at your departure airport and at what blend.
Carbon credits
Retire credits equal to the trip's tonnes (rounded up) from a recognised registry, such as Verra or Gold Standard. Check that the credits are retired in your name, not just bought, and what kind of project they fund: removals cost more than avoided emissions.
Fly less CO2 in the first place
Size the jet to the trip (a light jet burns about half what a super-midsize does), avoid empty positioning legs where the schedule allows, and fill seats: per-passenger CO2 falls with every person aboard.
More on SAF: Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), explained.
Private jet emissions: questions
How much CO2 does a private jet emit per hour?
About 768 kg for a turboprop, 864 kg for a very light jet, 1.74 t for a light jet, 2.32 t for a midsize jet, 2.53 t for a super-midsize jet, 2.75 t for a large jet, 4.02 t for an ultra-long-range jet, at the median fuel burn of the models we cover in each class. Every gallon of Jet A burned makes about 9.6 kg of CO2.
How is a private jet's carbon footprint calculated?
Fuel burned times a fixed factor. Flight time comes from distance and the jet's typical block speed; fuel is the aircraft's average burn per hour times that time; a gallon of Jet A weighs 6.7 lb (FAA), and each kilogram of fuel burned makes 3.16 kg of CO2 (ICAO). That is the CO2 out of the engines; it leaves out the emissions of producing the fuel and the warming from contrails and nitrogen oxides at altitude.
Is a private jet worse than flying commercial?
Per passenger, almost always. EPA's factors put an airline seat at 0.207 kg of CO2 a mile on short haul flights, 0.129 kg of CO2 a mile on medium haul flights, 0.163 kg of CO2 a mile on long haul flights. A 2h 25m New York to Palm Beach flight in a midsize jet with 4 aboard comes to about 1.42 t each, against about 134 kg in an airline seat: 11 times as much. The gap narrows as seats fill and widens on short hops, where climb and taxi weigh more.
Does sustainable aviation fuel make a private flight carbon neutral?
No. SAF burns much like Jet A, so the CO2 out of the engines barely changes; the saving is over the fuel's life cycle, because its carbon came from waste oils or plants rather than the ground. It is blended with Jet A at up to 50% (10% to 50% depending on how it is made, under ASTM D7566), and the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge aims for fuels with at least a 50% lifecycle cut. A 50% blend at that cut trims lifecycle CO2 by about a quarter.
How do I offset a private jet flight?
Take the trip's CO2 in tonnes from the calculator and retire that many carbon credits from a recognised registry (Verra's Verified Carbon Standard and Gold Standard are the best known). Prices per tonne vary widely by project type. Offsets compensate for emissions rather than avoid them; flying fewer empty legs, filling seats and choosing a jet sized to the trip cut what is emitted in the first place.
Why are these numbers different from other calculators?
Calculators differ in the fuel burn they assume, whether they add a routing allowance to the straight-line distance, whether they count the empty positioning flight, and whether they multiply CO2 for effects at altitude. Ours uses each model's average fuel burn from our ownership-cost pages, the straight-line (great-circle) distance plus 0.3 hours a leg for taxi, climb and descent, and CO2 only, with the empty flight as an option. The method and factors are on this page so you can check every step.
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