Climate change: France bans short-haul flights where trains are available

Image source, EPA/ Getty Images

Image caption, Climate activists had proposed scrapping plane journeys where train journeys of under four hours existed

You can no longer take short-haul flights in France where a train alternative is available, in a move the French government hopes will reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

The law has come into force two years after it was proposed, and says that domestic flights should not be available on any journeys where there is a train route that takes two-and-a-half hours or less.

This means most flights between Paris and nearby towns and cities such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux will be completely banned.

However, connecting flights will not be affected.

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Image caption, This graphic shows the difference in CO2 emissions between different methods of transport

How does the new rule work?

Airlines will no longer be able to offer flights within France if a train journey can be taken between the two destinations in two-and-a-half hours or less.

The law says that in order for this to apply, the train routes offered as an alternative have to be frequent, run on time, and be able to cope with the increase of passengers who would have otherwise taken a plane.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Train journeys within France are being encouraged

Train journeys should be available both inbound and outbound on the same day, with an eight hour gap in between for people to spend at their destination.

These rules will not apply to connecting flights, when the final destination is outside of France.

What do people think of it?

The law was put forward by the French government in 2021, but some airlines had asked the European Commission (a part of the European Union that is tasked with making and checking new laws) to see if it was legal.

Image source, AFP

Image caption, Flights from Paris to nearby towns and cities won't be allowed anymore

Some people such as France's Citizens' Convention on Climate and French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir wanted the limit to be where train journeys of four hours or less were available.

UFC-Que Choisir said: "On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes."

But airlines and some French regions were against this.

Laurent Donceel, the interim head of industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E), called the bans "symbolic", and said that governments should focus on other solutions that will be better at reducing CO2.