LAS VEGAS, NV – Taylor Swift found herself amongst 882 private planes that flew into the business airports of Las Vegas in the lead-up to Super Bowl LVIII. This year’s total ranks as the second-highest for the Super Bowl, according to WingX data. The record is held by last year’s game in Glendale, Ariz., with 931 private flights.
Big events tend to draw in swarms of private planes. For example, nearly 1,000 private jets flew into Las Vegas for a Formula 1 race in November according to WingX. In addition, more than 1,000 flew to the world leadership summit in Davos in 2022.
This year’s influx of private jets threatened to overwhelm the four airports surrounding Las Vegas that cater to private jets, which only have enough combined parking space for about 500 planes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, flying in a private jet is a high carbon-polluting way to travel. Private jets produce five to 14 times more emissions per passenger than commercial planes and 50 times more than trains, according to Transport & Environment.
The first leg of Taylor Swift’s journey—from Tokyo to Los Angeles in a Bombardier Global 6000—reportedly produced more than 50 tons of carbon emissions, according to fuel consumption data from the private jet brokerage Guardian Jet. However, Swift’s spokesperson has said in the past that she buys carbon offsets to make up for her jet’s emissions, but hasn’t shared details about which kinds of offsets she purchases.
Swift was the most famous among the hundreds of wealthy people who flew into Las Vegas on private jets. According to data from Airbus Corporate Jets, nearly two-thirds of the world’s private jets—15,000 planes—are registered in the United States. Most of their passengers fly under the radar with little public scrutiny.
The use of private jets has sparked concern about environmental impact and inequality, with some calling for tighter taxes on private jets and others pointing out the double standard when it comes to public scrutiny of private jet travel.