A new tax on private jets could raise up to £392 million more for climate action in Scotland during the lifetime of the current Scottish Parliament, new analysis shows, but campaigners say this will require the new Scottish Government to introduce it more quickly, set the rate high, and ensure all private jet passengers using Scottish airports are targeted.
The joint call, from Oxfam Scotland, Possible, Safe Landing, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland and the Patriotic Millionaires, comes as a former private jet owner, millionaire entrepreneur Stephen Prince, described private aviation as “more addictive than cocaine” and urged Scotland to set a global example in tackling their egregious emissions.
Under current plans, Scotland’s private jet tax will not be implemented until 2028. However, ahead of the upcoming Programme for Government, campaigners are calling for the charge to be brought in a year earlier, in April 2027, when the wider Air Departure Tax is due to start. They say this will ensure it raises crucial extra funds for climate action without delay.
New analysis suggests the stakes are high. Based on 2025 private jet flight data and the tax rates applicable at the time, Oxfam Scotland’s illustrative modelling estimates a strong Private Jet Tax introduced in Scotland in April 2027 could raise up to £122 million more by the end of the new Parliament in 2031. If the rate was set higher, as called for by campaign group Possible, modelling suggests this could reach up to £392 million more over the same period, with even more money raised if the tax rate rose year-on-year.
Both figures assume flying habits stay the same as wealthy private jet passengers are likely to simply absorb the extra cost. However, any fall in the use of private jets would help cut emissions, a much-needed shift, with the latest data showing international aviation and shipping emissions climbing rather than declining.
Campaigners say the revenues could support climate action, such as faster rollout of the proposed national £2 cap on bus fares or reducing energy bills through better insulating homes.
Katherine May, Oxfam Scotland Advocacy Adviser, said: “The First Minister has promised action on private jets, now he needs to prove he means business. A weak tax, delayed or diluted, will change little; not emissions, not behaviour, not the money needed for climate action.
“Scotland’s private jet tax must start in 2027, be set punishingly high to make passengers think twice and hit those who prioritise luxury travel over lives. At the moment, we see white trails in the sky, and climate destruction on the ground. The gap between excess and consequence is exactly what this policy has to close.”
The demand for faster action comes amid intensifying global climate impacts, with people being forced from their homes, losing their livelihoods, and struggling to rebuild in the face of repeated climate shocks.
In 2025, 11,896 private jet flights used Scotland’s airports, more than 990 every month, with Edinburgh Airport seeing the highest levels of traffic, followed by publicly-owned Glasgow Prestwick and Inverness Airport.
While campaigners support the retention of a well-designed tax exemption for standard class passengers using airports in the Highlands and Islands, they support the Scottish Government’s decision to exclude private jets from this.
Private jet flights come with a heavy environmental footprint. Analysis by Possible suggests those from Scotland’s six major airports alone produced more than 32,000 tonnes of emissions last year, equivalent to driving around 18,000 cars for 12 months or taking more than 2.5 million train journeys between Glasgow and London. Campaigners say Scotland cannot afford to wait and a strong private jet tax could be an important first step towards introducing a Frequent Flyer Levy targeting business passengers and those who fly multiple times a year.
Polling for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland shows 88% of people in Scotland support a tax on private jets. That support is also being echoed by voices from within the world of high wealth itself, such as American millionaire entrepreneur Stephen Prince.
Stephen Prince, Founder of Card Market, Inc. and Member of Patriotic Millionaires: “There are many perks to being rich, but chief among them is private air travel. It’s truly a luxury’s luxury, and while I’ve never used cocaine, I’d bet it’s less addictive than having a jet on standby.
“Three years ago, after seeing the damage it causes, I made the difficult decision to sell my jet. But we can’t rely on goodwill to cut emissions. What we can do, though, is make sure that private air travellers pay at least the cost they create through their selfish extravagance, but preferably more, as they can more than afford it.
“That’s why I’m excited by the move in Scotland to make private jet passengers pay a new tax. But for it to bite, the price has to be set high enough to make people think twice. By punitively punishing people’s pockets, Scotland can inspire other countries to rein in private air travel and forge a new path in saving our shared planet.”
Even aviation workers and enthusiasts involved with the organisation Safe Landing are urging the Scottish Government to introduce its private jet tax as early as possible with a rate that increases over time. They say this can support early adoption of zero-carbon aircraft, position Scotland as a global leader in clean aviation, create high-value jobs and attract new tourists to the region who are excited to try zero-carbon flight.
Alethea Warrington, Head of Aviation, Heat and Energy at climate charity Possible, said: “It’s outrageous that ordinary people struggle and vital public services suffer while the wealthiest few keep flying around in virtually untaxed, ultra-polluting private planes. The Scottish Government now has an opportunity to fix this, and start properly taxing the ultra-rich for the harm they’re causing to our climate. Why should a billionaire on a private jet pay a lower rate of tax than an ordinary person on their only holiday of the year?”
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For more information and interviews, please contact: Rebecca Lozza, Media and Communications Adviser, Oxfam Scotland: rlozza1@oxfam.org.uk / 07917738450
Notes to editors
