Business tycoon Elon Musk used his private jet for 134 trips last year according to a Florida student who tracks data on the vehicle’s movements. Jack Sweeney started tracking the private jet in 2020 and compiled data on the Tesla CEO’s Gulfstream G650ER, which uses the call sign N628TS.
According to the data, Musk used the jet to fly to Qatar to attend the prestigious World Cup finals in December. The plane also landed in France, Italy, Brazil, Norway, Germany, Greece, and the United Kingdom. The college student used bots to post public flight data that viewers could also find via ADS-B Exchange, an aircraft-tracking site.
College Student Tracks Elon Musk’s Private Jet Flights In 2022
Elon Musk has been an advocate of a greener future and saving Mother Earth. Part of his company’s advocacy is to protect and preserve nature using advanced technology. The entrepreneur also talked about climate change and sustainability. Musk’s travel itineraries seemingly oppose his plans for the environment.
In a report compiled by Sweeney, Musk’s longest flight was from Mykonos, Greece to Austin, Texas. The billionaire is certainly on board after he was spotted in Greece two days prior to the flight. His shortest trip was six minutes, and the tracker revealed the jet was at Long Beach Airport. The statistics show that Musk’s frequent destinations include Los Angeles and Texas.
Musk gathered Sweeney’s tracking of his jet’s whereabouts as an invasion of privacy, and he planned to sue the student for posting his locations and putting his son’s life in danger. The student was not bothered by Musk’s threat.
Sweeney told Insider that Musk could have avoided the issue if he had only paid him $50,000 to shut down the account. The student claimed the money was a small amount to pay compared to the $2.6 million charge of operating a jet plane.
Elon Musk Promotes Sustainability, Wastes Resources On Private Trips
The student’s Twitter account @ElonJet has been permanently suspended, although he created a second account @ElonJetNext that posts the same tracking data with a 24-hour interval delay.
Musk’s frequent trips last year resulted in emitting 1,895 tonnes of CO2. Not only this, but the cost of fuel went over $1.1 million. This harms the environment to a certain degree and wastes resources that could be used for more significant labor.
There have been reports that the use of private jets increases every year, triggering the effects of global warming and air pollution.
Source: Insider