Fact Check: Is viral image showing a private jet traffic jam at Jeff Bezos' Venice wedding real?

VENICE, ITALY: A striking image of a private jet traffic jam is taking the internet by storm, fueling speculation that it’s from billionaire Jeff Bezos’s extravagant 2025 wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice. The high-profile event has dominated headlines for over a week, with coverage spanning everything from the glamorous welcome party to the lavish ceremony and after-party.

Celebrity outfits have been dissected by fans and fashion critics alike, with even Bezos’s wedding suit drawing sharp criticism. But amid all the buzz, it’s this viral jet traffic photo that has truly captured everyone’s attention. So, what’s the real story behind the image? Lets find out!

Claim: The image showing a private jet traffic jam is from Jeff Bezos’ wedding

In late June 2025, a widely circulated image sparked claims that it showed private jet traffic from billionaire Bezos’s multi-day wedding celebration in Venice, Italy, which took place from June 26 to 28.

On June 29, X user @NotKennyRogers shared the photo with the caption: “One would think the private jet traffic jam at Jeff Bezos' wedding should just about put a lid on celebrities preaching to the rest of us about global warming.”

The post, which featured dozens of aircraft parked at an airport, quickly went viral, garnering over 752K views and 39K likes. Soon after, many other X users reposted the image alongside similar claims.

Several users appeared convinced of its authenticity. One wrote, “Bookmark this so it can be a response to the climate hoaxers,” while another angrily questioned, “Nonsense, where will the billions to fund those jets and that lifestyle come from then?”

Another user mocked, "They’re allowed to create enormous amounts of carbon due to the enormous amounts of carbon they save by not paying their workers enough to meaningfully generate any. 😜"

Fact Check: False, the image is miscaptioned and actually dates back from 2015

According to Snopes, the viral claim linking the private jet traffic image to Jeff Bezos’s wedding is false and based on a miscaptioned photo.

While The Guardian did report that Bezos’s wedding generated significant private aircraft activity, with more than 90 private jets arriving at Venice-area airports during the celebration, the widely shared image predates the event by nearly a decade and depicts a completely different location.

The photo actually shows the Atlantic Aviation private jet terminal at Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran International Airport) in Las Vegas. It was taken ahead of the highly anticipated May 2015 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao.

ESPN also published a version of the photo in an article covering the surge of private jets at the Las Vegas airport ahead of the Mayweather–Pacquiao fight.

Multiple social media posts from May 2015 captured similar scenes, including one by former KTTV sports reporter Liz Habib, who tweeted a photo with the caption: “Private jets at Las Vegas airport!!! Wing to wing-airport closed now to private planes. #MayPac”

Nick Woodhouse, president of Authentic Brands Group, also shared the same image on May 2, 2015, noting that it was taken at the private jet terminal in Las Vegas.

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