Drake responds after reported 14-minute private jet flight sparks backlash

Drake has responded to reports he took a 14-minute-long flight on his private jet, sparking backlash earlier this week.

Last week, the Twitter account @CelebJets, which tracks celebrities’ flights, tweeted that Drake’s jet had gone from his native Toronto to Hamilton – both in the state of Ontario – with the journey covering only 38 miles, and taking just 14 minutes. According to the account, the flight used 1,522 litres of fuel, and was responsible for four tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Drake’s Jet 38 mile (33 NM) flight from YYZ to YHM
~ 402 gallons (1,522 liters).
~ 2,694 lbs (1,222 kg) of jet fuel used.
~ $2,729 cost of fuel.
~ 4 tons of CO2 emissions.

— Celebrity Jets (@CelebJets) July 22, 2022

The rapper faced strong criticism for the alleged journey, with many on social media expressing outrage about the environmental impact of such a brief trip. The Guardian included the flight in an article about celebrities taking short rides, criticising other brief air trips by the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Mark Wahlberg.

“Canadians will complain about climate change then pay thousands to go to the next Drake concert, acting like he isn’t taking his private jet on flights from Hamilton to Toronto,” wrote Toronto tech reporter Temur Durrani on Twitter, linking to The Guardian‘s story.

“Drake is part of the problem, taking multiple 15 minute flights to Hamilton and back while the environment is collapsing,” Toronto-based writer and filmmaker Jesse Hawken tweeted. “Dude, take the GO train ffs.”

Canadians will complain about climate change then pay thousands to go to the next Drake concert, acting like he isn’t taking his private jet on flights from Hamilton to Toronto.https://t.co/jtISJI6kLB pic.twitter.com/n5lEdSDNNQ

— Temur Durrani (@temurdur) July 22, 2022

Drake is part of the problem, taking multiple 15 minute flights to Hamilton and back while the environment is collapsing. Dude, take the GO train ffshttps://t.co/XocG7F3YFG

— Jesse Hawken (@jessehawken) July 25, 2022

Now, Drake has clarified the incredibly brief flight. “This is just them moving planes to whatever airport they are being stored at for anyone who was interested in the logistics,” Drizzy wrote, commenting on a post about the controversy from the Instagram account of Real Toronto News. “Nobody takes that flight.”

It’s not the first time Drake has faced flak recently. Earlier this month, the rapper was criticised over the ticket prices for an upcoming Young Money reunion concert he’s staging in Toronto in August, featuring the likes of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne.

The rapper’s new Beverly Hills mansion was recently subject to an alleged break-in by a man claiming to be his son. An employee at the mansion spotted the 23-year-old intruder near the pool on July 15. Police arrived and arrested the man for misdemeanour trespassing.