Wo is Bernard’s plane? Subscribers to the @laviondebernard Twitter account have always been pretty well informed about the whereabouts of France’s richest man, entrepreneur Bernard Arnault. In the summer, the private jet often flew to Nice, and according to the flight plan, he was also spotted in the Bahamas, where the billionaire owns a private island. But now the successful founder of the luxury empire LVMH (Louis Vuitton for Moët Hennessy) is tired of being shadowed by environmental activists on the radar screen.
“No one can see where I’m going anymore”
According to their own statements, the activists wanted to denounce that the way of life of the super-rich is very harmful to the environment. The private jet owned by the company was sold on September 1, Arnault recently reported on French broadcaster Radio Classique. “The result is that no one can see where I’m going anymore. I’ll be chartering private jets in the future,” Arnault said on the show about LVMH. Son Antoine Arnault explained on the French television channel France 5 that private jets are indispensable.
In China, he recently visited a dozen places in three days. If he had tried that on a commercial airliner, it would have taken him three weeks. He also cited reasons for confidentiality and security: “It’s not particularly good if our competitors know where we are at all times. That can allow conclusions. It’s not good for our safety either.”
There has been a debate about private jets for a long time
Antoine Arnault is responsible for the company’s communications and recently had his photograph taken in a train compartment. He emphasized that LVMH is committed to climate protection and that he always takes the train whenever possible. The debate about private jets has been going on in France for some time. Transport Secretary Clément Beaune has suggested taxing private jets more heavily to help change behaviour. However, he spoke out against a ban.
The environmental activists don’t want to leave Bernard Arnault alone anyway. In a new campaign, the Attac organization is stirring up sentiment against the entrepreneur’s private yacht “Symphony”. The Twitter account @YachtCO2tracker follows the luxury ship’s voyages. “Symphony” consumed 470,000 liters of diesel on cruises in September alone.
