Ex-pilots, millionaires call out ‘obscene’ celebrity private jet use at Cannes Film Festival
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesClimate activists, former pilots and even some wealthy investors are calling on movie stars to fly economy or take the train to the Cannes Film Festival, citing data showing that roughly 750 private jet flights ferried A-listers and Hollywood executives to the event last year, burning through approximately 2 million liters of kerosene — the emissions equivalent of 14,000 passengers on commercial round-trip flights between Paris and Athens, according to research from Transport & Environment.
The criticism arrives as fuel rationing has spread across much of the world, with experts warning that food shortages and famine are a possible outcome in many regions and that limited fuel supplies could begin to affect disaster relief efforts and humanitarian aid.
“The rich and famous burning through scarce fuel to get to a film festival isn’t just tone deaf, it’s obscene,” said Anthony Viaux, a former Air France pilot who signed on to the campaign. Mr. Viaux called on EU policymakers to tighten rules around carbon taxation and resist pressure from the Trump administration. “EU policymakers shouldn’t let Trump’s administration dictate the rules,” he said.
Former private jet pilot Katie Thompson echoed the condemnation, pointing to “Narcos” star Pedro Pascal as a model for other celebrities. Mr. Pascal flew economy to Cannes last year, and Ms. Thompson said there is no reason other stars cannot do the same or take the train where possible.
Transport & Environment’s deputy director of aviation, Jerome du Boucher, said festival organizers should do more to push stars toward cleaner travel options, encouraging train travel where possible and commercial flights where not. His group’s research found that if all attendees who arrived by private jet had instead flown commercial, the festival could move 40% of the way toward its carbon emissions reduction target for 2030.
The call is drawing support from an unlikely corner. Julia Davies, co-founder of Patriotic Millionaires UK, said the tax treatment of private aviation remains deeply inequitable.
“Private jets are a luxury only the very wealthiest few can afford, yet most of these flights are still not subject to fuel or carbon taxes — taxes the majority of people pay every day as they travel to work,” she said. Transport & Environment says the EU Emissions Trading System currently covers only intra-European flights, leaving the majority of private jet emissions unpriced — a gap the group is urging policymakers to close during a scheduled ETS review this year.
The broader fuel crunch is already being felt across Europe. More than 500 flights have already been cancelled in France alone, with disruptions expected to affect up to 20 million passengers in Germany during the summer travel season. Travel accounts for 93% of the Cannes festival’s total carbon footprint by its own estimate.
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The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday at the Grand Theatre Lumiere, with South Korean director Park Chan-wook serving as jury president alongside director Chloe Zhao and actress Demi Moore.
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