‘A Strong Symbol’: France Bans Short-Distance Flights to Combat Climate Change

Flights that can be covered in under two-and-a-half hours by an equivalent train ride will no longer be allowed to operate in France.

“This is an essential step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the country’s Transportation Minister, Clement Beaune, said in a statement following the announcement on Tuesday.

“As we fight relentlessly to decarbonize our lifestyles, how can we justify the use of the plane between the big cities which benefit from regular, fast and efficient connections by train,” the official added.

The ruling has only led to the cancellation of three flight routes so far, connecting Paris Orly Airport with the French cities of Bordeaux, Nantes, and Lyon. The ban leaves short-distance flights to Marseilles, which takes three hours by plane, unaffected.

Laurent Donceel, the head of the industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E), told the French news agency, AFP, that such regulations “will only have minimal effects,” on CO2 emissions and demanded “real and significant solutions,” instead of such “symbolic bans.”