Starting from April 2022, France has outlawed many short-haul flights, which are less than 2.5 hours long, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable modes of transportation. The ban affects around 160 routes that can be easily replaced by train journeys, such as Paris to Nantes or Lyon to Bordeaux.
The move is part of France’s wider goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce 40% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Exceptions to the ban can be made for connecting flights or when no other transportation options are available.
This can be a call for other EU countries to adopt similar measures, like Austria has done recently. Greenpeace argues that this would impact a third of Europe’s busiest short flights and eliminate 3.5 million tons of carbon emissions per year.
Short-haul flights outlawed – aviation emissions reduction – shift to rail