Celebrities, they’re just like us. Except they can travel in luxury without worrying about their footprint on the environment.
In the subreddit r/BollyBlindsNGossip, a community devoted to talking about Bollywood Stars and movies, one user shared an image of landing from their private jet to Tirupati.
The actors, Janhvi Kapoor and Sidharth Malhotra, who star opposite each other in the romantic comedy “Param Sundari,” were seen landing after their private flight. Each year, Janhvi visits her mother for her birthday. This year, they turned the trip into a promo for the movie, according to OP.
Photo Credit: Reddit
“Since the Kalina airport has become exclusive to private jet traffic in Mumbai I’ve realized two things,” OP said. “1. Celebs travel private wayyyy more than I’d imagined and 2. Studios spend way too much money on giving their stars luxury. Which obviously eats into their profit margin.”
“In an industry that claims to be in deep losses all over,” OP continued. “Movies not working. Big stars falling to attract crowds. No one is stopping to think, why do we need unnecessary expenses? When any corporation is in trouble, the FIRST thing to go is private travel for their executives. But not in Bollywood.”
Private plane activity has grown over the past few years, with activity increasing by 8% year-over-year since 2024. With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the dangers of communal infections, private travel has become more attractive for those who can afford it.
However, private planes are bad for the environment, releasing more carbon pollution in two hours of flight than the average person does in one year, according to PBS. This pollution contributes to higher global temperatures, which leads to more extreme weather events, such as worsening hurricanes and wildfires.
Private planes are 50 times more polluting than trains, according to one study. Celebrities are using private flights for a lot of travel each year. According to Simple Flying, celebrities are flying as often as 165 times in a single year.
“There are a lot of people using these aircraft as taxis, where you cover whatever distance by aircraft simply because it’s more convenient,” said Linnaeus University professor Stefan Gossling, according to the BBC. “If somebody’s flight emits in one hour as much as an average human being emits in a year — just to watch a soccer game — then perhaps it shows those people think they are outside the standards that we have as a global community.”
While banning private planes could be difficult — and it might be difficult to make a huge dent in carbon pollution — it would be a symbolic gesture in curbing inequality. It could also help save as much as $1 trillion, as one study found.
“The use of private jets is emblematic of the vast inequalities that plague modern society,” said Greenpeace’s Mehdi Leman. “The polluting lifestyle of the super-rich, exemplified by the frequent use of private jets, starkly contrasts with the everyday reality of billions who have minimal carbon footprints but face severe climate impacts. This inequity underscores the need for policies that hold high emitters accountable and promote fairer, more sustainable transport systems.”
Commenters shared their own outrage at the images of the Bollywood stars flying private.
“Do they know much pollution happens via this private jet trips?” one wrote. “The sheer audacity!”
“Then the govt wants to limit the AC temperature of the entire country,” wrote one commenter. “[Why] don’t they think at all about the environment. Burn your money but don’t take all of us down.”
“And then they have [the] audacity to lecture us on carbon footprint,” said another.
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