Nike just made it harder to track executives’ use of private jets

Collins, who has studied the FAA’s secrecy programs, called Nike’s move an effort to avoid accountability. — Photo by Chris Leipelt on Unsplash

Nike, the world’s largest athletic apparel brand, has moved to hinder public scrutiny of its corporate jets after ProPublica and The Oregonian/OregonLive highlighted executives’ travel destinations. In doing so, it became the latest participant in a cat-and-mouse game of jet owners seeking to cloak their movements around the globe.

A month after the story’s publication, Nike’s two Gulfstream G650ER jets were no longer visible on the flight tracking website FlightAware. Both were added to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed list, consisting of planes that sites like FlightAware are not allowed to show. Placement on the list makes it harder – but not impossible – to see where the planes are going.