Photos show the lineup of private jets that the world's elite, including Jeff Bezos, took to the UN's climate conference in Scotland
Avery Hartmans,Thomas Pallini
Private jets and government aircraft in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 UN climate conference.BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty
- The COP26 UN climate conference kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland, with high-profile attendees.
- President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Jeff Bezos all arrived on private jets.
Private jets owned by the world's elite have descended on Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nation's COP26 climate conference, filling up local airfields and angering environmentalists.
Private jets and government aircraft in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 UN climate conference.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty
Source: Insider
The annual summit has drawn world leaders and executives from the business world for 12 days of discussions on climate change. But it's also drawn roughly 400 private jets to the region, Scotland's Sunday Mail reported.
President Joe Biden arrives in Glasgow, Scotland.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty
Source: Sunday Mail
President Joe Biden arrived in Scotland on Air Force One from Rome, Italy after attending the G20 summit and meeting with Pope Francis in Vatican City.
President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One in Glasgow, Scotland.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty
While Marine One brought Biden to Andrews Air Force Base ahead of the flight to Rome, a motorcade brought Biden into town.
President Joe Biden's motorcade in Glasgow, Scotland.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty
A UK military helicopter flying overhead escorted the motorcade.
A UK military helicopter escorts President Joe Biden's motorcade in Glasgow, Scotland.
Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived on "Can Force One," a Canadian Royal Air Force CC-150 Polaris aircraft that's the military variant of the Airbus A310-300.
The Canadian government's CC-150 Polaris aircraft arriving at the G20 summit in 2017.
Carsten Rehder/picture alliance via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chartered a commercial aircraft from El Al Israel Airlines for the journey to Scotland.
Private jets and government aircraft in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 UN climate conference.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty
Source: Twitter
The Boeing 737 series aircraft is among the more modest aircraft used by world leaders for COP26.
An El Al Israel Airlines Boeing 737-900ER.
Paul Hanna/Reuters
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived on the country's new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Glasgow, Scotland.
STR/JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty
Japan recently retired its two Boeing 747-400 aircraft formerly used for state travel and they now sit in an aircraft storage facility in the Arizona desert.
The Japanese government's former Boeing 747-400 aircraft,
Manabu Takahashi/Getty
Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, a member of the Clinton Foundation's board of directions and chief executive officer of InterEngergy Holdings, is also attending the summit.
Rolando Gonzlez-Bunster of the Clinton Foundation.
David M. Benett/Getty
Source: Twitter
A Dassault Falcon 900 private jet tied to Gonzalez-Bunster arrived in Glasgow on Monday from the Dominican Republic via St. John's, Canada, FlightAware data shows.
A Dassault Falcon 900 similar to the one used by Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster.
Ryan Fletcher / Shutterstock.com
Source: FlightAware and OpenCorporates
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson similarly arrived in Glasgow from Rome, according to The Guardian, but not on his usual plane.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the COP26 UN climate conference.
STEVE REIGATE/Steve REIGATE/AFP via Getty
Source: The Guardian
An Airbus A321 was used instead of the normal Airbus A330, favored for UK government VIP journeys, as the aircraft is undergoing servicing.
An Airbus A321 used by the UK government.
Alberto Pezzali-WPA Pool/Getty
Source: The Guardian
A spokesperson for the prime minister said that the plane was operated using a mix of standard jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel, the Guardian reported.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson disembarks from his plane in Rome, Italy.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA Images via Getty
Source: The Guardian
Johnson will also be flying back to London instead of taking the train.
Jeff Bezos and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the COP26 UN climate conference.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty
Source: The Guardian
Prince Charles also flew in a private jet to Glasgow independently of Johnson, according to The Guardian, also using sustainable aviation fuels.
Prince Charles at the COP26 UN climate conference.
JANE BARLOW/POOL/AFP via Getty
Source: The Guardian
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is among the VIPs meeting with world leaders and climate experts at COP26.
Jeff Bezos speaking at the COP26 UN climate conference.
Steve Reigate - Pool/Getty
Bezos, who stepped down from the helm of the e-commerce giant in July, likely arrived in Scotland aboard his $65 million Gulfstream G650ER, among the largest purpose-built private jets currently in service.
A Gulfstream G650ER similar to the one used by Jeff Bezos.
REUTERS/Aly Song
A Twitter account that tracks Bezos' two aircraft said the jet touched down in Glasgow on October 31. The G650ER is registered to Bezos' Poplar Glen LLC, Federal Aviation Administration records shows.
A Gulfstream G650ER similar to the one used by Jeff Bezos.
VanderWolf Images / Shutterstock.com
Source: Twitter and Federal Aviation Administration
When Bezos announced the end of his tenure as Amazon CEO, he said he planned to spend more time on philanthropy, including the Earth Fund. Announced in February 2020, the $10 billion fund hands out grants to scientists, activists, and NGOs who are helping to "preserve and protect the natural world," Bezos said at the time.
Jeff Bezos speaking at the COP26 UN climate conference.
Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty
Bezos has been posting photos and videos of his time at COP26, including a photo posted Tuesday of him and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, participating in a panel discussion about conservation.
Jeff Bezos speaking at the COP26 UN climate conference.
Chris Jackson/Getty
"At #COP26, Lauren and I discussed conservation of land and sea with leaders from Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, and Bolivia. Together, they oversee one of the most diverse regions on earth," Bezos wrote on Instagram. "The @BezosEarthFund is working with them to help create the largest transnational marine protected area on the planet, covering an area larger than California."
Bezos and Sanchez meeting with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in New York in September.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Source: Instagram
On Monday, the Earth Fund announced a $2 billion pledge toward landscape restoration in the US and Africa, as well as finding ways to make agriculture more sustainable.
Jeff Bezos speaks at the COP26 UN climate conference.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty
Source: Bezos Earth Fund
But private jet travel remains to be a blind spot of the world's wealthy and powerful when discussing climate change. The 2021 United Nations General Assembly in New York, where sustainability was a key topic, saw world leaders similarly fly in on their massive private jets.
The General Assembly hall is seen at the U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 17, 2017
REUTERS/Joe Penney
But due to local regulations, their aircraft weren't allowed to park at area airports. Some flew as far south as Washington, DC to park during the event.
A UK government Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/Getty
The wealthy also use private jets to attend events in remote areas of the US, including the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Private jets park alongside grazing cows at Friedman Memorial Airport in Sun Valley, Idaho, ahead of the 2021 Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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