Private jets used like ‘airborne taxis’ as Oxfam demands huge Scottish tax hike
Campaigners want Scotland to hit private jet passengers with a hefty new levy, claiming thousands of flights are pumping out tonnes of climate-warming emissions.
Scotland should slap a SKY-HIGH tax on private jet flights to make the super-rich pay for their pollution, campaigners have demanded.
Oxfam Scotland is urging ministers to set the new levy at least 10 times higher than the current higher rate of air passenger duty, accusing wealthy travellers of treating private jets like "airborne taxis".
The Scottish Government plans to introduce the tax from April 2028, with the rate expected to be revealed when Finance Secretary Jenny Gilruth delivers the Scottish Budget on December 3. Katherine May, head of Oxfam Scotland, said ministers must send a clear message to private jet passengers. She said: "Private jet passengers shouldn't be able to pollute on the cheap while the rest of us pick up the bill."
The charity analysed flight records from the Private Jet Tracking Initiative and found 1,101 private jets arrived in or departed from Scotland during just one month, between July 15 and August 15 this year. Those flights generated an estimated 7,830 tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to Oxfam. The charity also recorded 7,237 private jet flights between January and September 2026, which it estimates produced 44,216 tonnes of CO2. Oxfam claims the emissions generated in just 42 minutes exceeded the annual carbon pollution attributed to someone in the poorest half of the UK population.
Ms May drew a stark contrast between private aviation and communities facing the effects of extreme weather. "While firefighters and Cairngorms communities battled wildfires on the ground, private jets were pumping out white trails of pollution across the skies above them," she said. She argued that the climate crisis was also an issue of inequality, with poorer communities often suffering the consequences despite contributing less to emissions.
Oxfam wants wealthy polluters, including private jet users and oil and gas companies, to contribute more towards tackling climate change.
A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed the levy would begin in April 2028. They said: "The Scottish Government is introducing a private jet tax from April 2028 to ensure those who choose to use private jets pay their fair share." The government added that air departure tax rates, including those applying to private jets, would be set out in the December 3 Budget.