Boris Johnson will catch a private jet back to London from Glasgow after days of climate talks at Cop26.
Downing Street has defended the prime minister’s decision to return from the UN climate change summit by plane, insisting that Mr Johnson has to be able to travel quickly due to "significant time constraints".
Mr Johnson and other world leaders attending the crunch talks have faced criticism for their transport choices.
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The Cop26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, has been billed as a critical opportunity for countries to commit to keeping promises they made at the Paris summit, and take further action to limit dangerous global warming to a 1.5C target.
The private charter jet Mr Johnson will travel home from uses a special mix of “sustainable” aviation fuel, according to Downing Street.
The government claims it is one of the most carbon-efficient aircraft of its size, and produces less than half the emissions produced by the RAF Voyager, which is used for foreign travel.
But the prime minister has been labelled a hypocrite on social media for not using public transport.
Pressed on why he could not use the train for a journey within the UK, a Downing Street spokesperson said it was important Mr Johnson was able to travel round the country while facing “significant time constraints”.
“Our approach to tackling climate change is to use technology so that we do not have to change how we use modes of transport, rather we use technology on things like electric vehicles so that we can still get to net zero,” the spokesperson said.
“That has very much been at the core of our approach.”
The spokesperson continued: “It is important that the PM is able to move around the country and obviously we face significant time constraints.
“The plane the PM used on his travels is one of the most carbon-efficient planes of its size in the world. It produces 50 per cent less CO2 emissions than, for example, the larger, Voyager plane.
“It uses a specific type of fuel that is a blend of 35 per cent sustainable aviation fuel and 65 per cent normal fuel, which is the maximum amount allowed.”
Mr Johnson used the aircraft, operated by Titan Airways, to fly out to the G20 summit in Rome on Friday and then carried on to Glasgow on Sunday.
US President Joe Biden turned up at the summit with a multi-vehicle motorcade after flying into Edinburgh following his trip to the G20 summit in Rome.
This morning, foreign secretary Liz Truss defended world leaders using private planes to fly to Glasgow.
She told BBC Breakfast: “I think everybody who has ever done a Zoom call knows that they are quite useful for some things but when you really get into crunch negotiations, when you want to look somebody in the eye and talk to them face-to-face you do need to meet in person, and this is really critical.
“World leaders are going to have to make some tough decisions about what’s going on in their own countries, they’re going to have to commit to things they didn’t necessarily want to when they arrived at the conference and that’s why it’s really important that we do have people face-to-face.”
Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said she understood that the air travel involved in attending Cop26 may send a "mixed message" - but she agreed leaders needed to meet in person.
"Given all of the travel required to get here, it even further increases the pressure on the shoulders of world leaders to make sure it's worth it," she said.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, meanwhile, arrived in Glasgow by train and on the first day were using electric cars to get to their engagements.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also arrived in Glasgow by train for the start of the conference.
This evening, world leaders will attend an evening drinks reception and electric taxis and buses are being used to transport guests to the venue.
