France has banned domestic short-haul flights where train alternatives exist amid French Government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The law comes into force two years after lawmakers initially voted to phase out routes that can be traveled by train in under two-and-a-half hours. However, the ban does not affect connecting flights, focusing solely on direct air travel between Paris and cities like Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux.
Symbolic Bans or Meaningful Solutions?
Critics have dismissed the new measures as “symbolic bans” with minimal impact on CO2 emissions. Laurent Donceel, interim head of the industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E), argued that instead of implementing bans, governments should prioritize supporting “real and significant solutions” to address the issue of carbon emissions in the aviation sector.
Call for stricter rules
The French government has faced pressure to introduce even stricter regulations to curb carbon emissions in aviation sector. The Citizens’ Convention on Climate, established by President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 and composed of 150 members of the public, initially proposed scrapping plane journeys where train alternatives of under four hours were available. However, this was revised to two-and-a-half hours following objections from certain regions and Air France-KLM.
Planes vs. Trains
French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir had advocated for retaining the four-hour limit, emphasizing that planes emit 77 times more CO2 per passenger than trains on these routes. They further highlighted that trains are not only more environmentally friendly but also cheaper, with only a 40-minute difference in travel time. The group also called for safeguards to prevent the French national railway, SNCF, from inflating prices or compromising the quality of rail service.
In the ongoing global effort to combat climate change, France’s ban on domestic short-haul flights with available train alternatives is seen as a step toward reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector. However, critics argue that more comprehensive and substantial solutions are needed to address the environmental impact of air travel effectively.