In the aftermath of the smearing operation that unknown perpetrators carried out unnoticed at Innsbruck Airport over the weekend, the organization Greenpeace is now speaking out with a survey, purely by chance. This is intended to prove that the majority of Austrians would allegedly demand a ban on private jet flights.

In public, people turn to Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), of all people, who is known for her own pleasure in using business jets, which are downright trivialized by their speakers as “necessary airlines”. The government member rarely misses an opportunity in public to express her dislike of commercial aviation. At the same time, enormous sums are being invested in night trains. Equally suffering due to current politics: the bus industry and its long-distance bus routes for ideological reasons cannot be included in the Austrian climate ticket. The result of this: With the exception of Graz-Vienna and Graz-Vienna Airport, all Flixbus routes within Austria had to be discontinued for economic reasons.

In the summer of 2020, shortly after scheduled aviation started up again after the first lockdown, Gewessler loudly called for minimum prices for airline tickets. At that time she announced that these would apply from September 2020. Airports, airlines and even the coalition partner ÖVP have expressed serious concerns about its compatibility with EU law. Things have been extremely quiet about the project and since a mini-declaration from their climate protection ministry, there has been no more talk about it - at least in politics.

The Greenpeace organization “purely coincidentally” happened close to the smear campaign happened at Innsbruck Airport at the weekend, published a survey. The official reason for the survey, carried out by Integral on behalf of environmentalists, is said to be the EU Transport Council. The institute comes to the conclusion that Austrians are increasingly critical of private jets.

According to this, 61 percent of those surveyed would be in favor of a ban on business jets. 73 percent would generally reject private flights. As arguments for their position, 65 percent cited climate and environmental protection and 78 percent that there would be alternative travel options. . When asked about further measures to restrict private jet flights, a majority of 79 percent supported a kerosene tax, similar to the tax on gasoline or diesel. 70 percent also support a ban on short-haul flights, provided affordable and fast train connections are available.

With the survey, Greenpeace supports the demand that is directed at Gewessler: they want to achieve a ban on private jets. They also refer to their own statistics, which are said to show that between 2019 and 2022 there were a particularly large number of business jets traveling between Vienna and Salzburg as well as Paris and Geneva. Gewessler should campaign for a ban at EU level, which would then also affect her.

The presentation of the Integral Institute is under this link in PDF format provided.