Commission President Ursula von der Leyen flew on 16 private jet trips in 2024, according to travel data published by the Commission in response to a parliamentary question.
The flights were paid for by the Commission and disclosed in a written reply to German MEP Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of The Left group in the Parliament. He has regularly criticised von der Leyen’s travel habits, particularly given her prominent role championing the EU’s Green Deal.
Responding to the criticism, a Commission spokesperson defended the use of chartered aircraft, saying they were deployed “only” under logistical constraints, time pressures, or for security reasons.
“It is good to remember that she is a full member of the European Council, of the G7, the G20, and is invited to major global events such as the UN General Assembly – at the level of a head of state or government and with an equivalent schedule and work burden,” the spokesperson said. “The president travels as much as possible using commercial airlines and public transport.”
When asked, the Commission’s spokesperson did not provide a detailed breakdown of the total costs of the trips but said the information is available in the president’s transparency disclosures.
Von der Leyen is typically accompanied by a team of 3 to 39 staff members, the travel data shared with the Parliament shows.
One of the largest missions – a September visit to flood-hit Wrocław as part of a broader official trip to Ukraine – involved 40 people and cost €2,981.25 per person, according to von der Leyen’s personal disclosures.
The most expensive leg was a €14,110 per person chartered flight that included an official stop in Paris, followed by participation in the G7 Summit in Borgo Egnazia, Italy, and the Ukraine Peace Conference in Lucerne, Switzerland. It’s unclear how many people travelled with her during this whole trip.
Public scrutiny on the president’s travel habits has intensified since March 2023, when German media outlets Bild and Der Spiegel reported she had taken 57 private flights over two years, sparking backlash over her carbon footprint.
Of the 16 flights logged in 2024, five were to Strasbourg – the seat of the Parliament, including at least one short-haul journey from Brussels. The flight typically takes between one hour and one hour and 15 minutes, Aeroaffaires, a private jet service provider, told Euractiv.
In 2023, Schirdewan had already criticised the president for taking private jets between Brussels and Strasbourg on at least three occasions, despite the availability of direct, high-speed rail connections taking under five hours.
She also came under fire in May after flying from Strasbourg to Luxembourg alongside European Council President António Costa and Parliament President Roberta Metsola – a route typically covered in three hours by car.
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