Inverness flights among 1100 from private jet firm owned by ‘green’ Highland landowner by Anders Holch Povlsen
Scotland’s richest man has been accused of greenwashing after his private jet firm made more than 1100 trips despite his environmental aims.
There were 42 flights to Inverness airport, close to the Highland estates owned by Anders Holch Povlsen – and his company confirmed he was on board some of these.
Danish native Mr Povlsen is Scotland’s largest landowner and also the biggest financial backer of the Prince’s EarthShot prize.
But campaigners said his donation to the environmental award and efforts to restore acres of land in the Highlands doesn’t outweigh the damage he is doing to the planet through his private jet company Blackbird Air.
They’ve also questioned Mr Povlsen’s personal flight usage after it emerged dozens of trips were taken between Denmark and Inverness using the luxury aircraft – including to ferry Lionel Richie and up to 200 guests to his lavish 50th birthday party last summer.
Mr Povlsen held the bash in July 2023 at Aldourie Castle on the banks of Loch Ness – one of 13 estates he owns in Scotland spanning 220,000 acres.
Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell said: “Private jets are the most environmentally destructive way a person can travel. They’re totally incompatible with the work we’re doing across the economy to cut emissions and ensure a sustainable future.
“Yet they continue to be used extensively by the world’s wealthiest people while our climate pays the price.
“This won’t be news to any billionaire, and certainly not to anyone who funds a major environmental contest dedicated to climate action and clean air.
“It’s simply not good enough to talk a good game one minute while jetting around the world in a private jet the next.”
According to research by Danish national broadcaster DR, Mr Povlsen’s Blackbird Air flew between Denmark’s Billund airport and Inverness 42 times between 2020 and 2023.
Most of the journeys took place in 2023 with some travelling out and back in one day.
A spokesman from Bestseller, a fashion firm which Mr Povlsen is the sole owner of, wouldn’t confirm how many of the journeys Povlsen personally took but told DR Blackbird Air also leases planes to companies and individuals.
He said: “It is perhaps not surprising that he and others over a number of years have had travel activity in and out of Inverness in Scotland and thus have taken part in some of the mentioned flights.”
He also stressed that the “vast majority of such flights have a business purpose”.
Mr Povlsen is one of the founding backers of the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot Prize which awards five winners £1 million each year to continue climate-saving projects.
He was reported to have donated £1 million to the first award in 2021.
Through his company Wildland Ltd, Povlsen also plans to rewild vast swathes of his 13 Highland estates, and said he was “investing in the natural world”.
Alethea Warrington, head of aviation, heat and energy at climate charity Possible, said: “For anyone to position themselves as an environmentalist or conservationist but then travel by private jet rather than opting for low-carbon travel is nothing short of hypocritical.
“There is simply no way to fly – private or not – without producing a huge amount of emissions and claiming otherwise is just greenwashing.
“Private jets are incredibly wasteful and polluting. They cause huge emissions, which harm our climate and worsen the extreme weather which is hitting communities increasingly hard around the world.
“If we are to have any hope of meeting our climate goals and ensuring a liveable planet for future generations, we must ban private jets and stop the wealthiest few in society from causing harm to people who will never see a private jet in their lives.”
Kristian Tvergaard, chief executive of Blackbird Air, said the company was “very conscious of the emissions associated with air travel and the travel industry”.
“Therefore we strive to have new, fuel efficient aircraft, and we are working hard to secure even more SAF fuel for our flights. This type of fuel can contribute to a reduced overall emission and be a better alternative to the fuel typically used in aircraft,” he added.
The company argued it often works with global firms who have complex transportation needs, such as flying to locations with no direct flights or where specific security needs have to be considered.
The company was keen to point out that Blackbird does not fly exclusively for Povlsen or staff of any of his companies and that the 1115 private flights were spread out between Danish and international clients.
Mr Povlsen is Scotland’s largest private landowner and has received plaudits from environmentalists for the rewilding projects he undertakes on his land.
His company has said it wants to restore parts of the Highlands it owns to their “former natural splendour” and create a landscape “varied enough to mitigate the effects of climate change”.
Billionaire Mr Povlsen, who owns the Ben Loyal, Braesgill, Hope, Eriboll, Polla, Kinloch and Strathmore estates in Sutherland, also objected to the original planning application for the Sutherland Spaceport, citing concerns about its impact on vulnerable protected areas.
