The magnitude of carbon emissions disclosed in the report is shocking. The Massachusetts Port Authority should abandon plans to expand Hanscom Field’s private jet capacity. We cannot afford the luxury of this carbon-intensive mode of travel, especially if we are to meet our state’s goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent by the end of the decade.

We have a shared responsibility to protect our planet and ensure a sustainable future for the generations to come. In this climate crisis, every emission counts, and every reduction matters.

Private jet travel benefits the very few and affects us all in ways that are harmful and enduring.

Lili Flanders

Truro

Business aviation is a key contributor to Mass. economy

Hanscom Field in Bedford needs more hangars. Business aviation is a robust part of our Massachusetts economy and provides a huge impact.

According to a 2019 economic impact study completed by the Aeronautics Division of the state Department of Transportation, this industry employs more than 199,000 people in Massachusetts, provides $24.7 billion in economic output to the Commonwealth, and contributes $1 billion in taxes to the state’s coffers.

Most of the emissions from business aircraft flights occur outside our state borders. These aircraft are used by leaders of our local companies to cement relationships and drive business, which help increase jobs, revenue, and taxes for the Commonwealth.

If these aircraft are not hangared at Hanscom, they will end up in adjacent states, costing Massachusetts jobs, revenue, and a tax base.

Companies such as Boston MedFlight and New England Donor Services use their aircraft to provide lifesaving care to patients.

Senator Elizabeth Warren reportedly has flown on business aircraft. We should applaud a prominent politician representing the state for making use of this important sector of our economy.

Our industry takes green initiatives seriously. The use of sustainable aviation fuel is poised to grow from $1 billion in sales currently to $131.1 billion in 2033. Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are on a similar trajectory, forecast to grow from $1.2 billion in sales to $23.4 billion in 2030. Carbon offset credits are another sign that we are in this together.

Notwithstanding the cries of alarmists, business aviation in the Commonwealth should be celebrated for the positive impact it provides to our residents.

Dave Richter

President

Massachusetts Business Aviation Association

Wayland

Boosting hangar space would fly in the face of our climate goals

Scot Lehigh’s column concerning the proposed expansion of hangar space at Hanscom Field was concise and compelling (“Massport’s plan to expand private jet space at Hanscom is a climate debacle,” Opinion, Sept. 29). Lehigh rightly draws attention to the need to confront the stark reality of private jet emissions.

Increasing capacity for private, luxury jet use is clearly incompatible with our state’s climate law, which sets a goal of 50 percent emissions reductions by 2030. Lehigh notes that private jets are estimated to be up to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial jets, and a single passenger on a private jet is responsible for 7,913 pounds of carbon dioxide per flight, compared with 88 pounds of emissions on a bus and just 7 pounds on a train.

The Environmental League of Massachusetts has emphasized, as have many other organizations, that this proposed project thwarts the state’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050.

Massachusetts must not allow a dramatic expansion of private jet use and the attendant and unsustainable emissions it would bring.

Patricia Maria Weinmann

Boston