The European Commission has approved the ban on short-haul flights between cities in France. According to legislation any domestic journey that can be done within two and a half hours by train will not be allowed by plane.
A report in the The Thread stated that the decision was announced on December 2 after a lengthy deliberation by the European Commission as to whether this move was the correct one logistically.
The idea to do this was originally from France’s Citizens Convention on Climate where ecologically minded volunteers were tasked to find ways to lower national emissions.
They were however met with opposition from the Union of French Airports and the Airports Council International with both bodies concerned about the economic downturn.
The ban will affect three routes; between Paris Orly and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux all of which have railway alternatives.
Popular flight routes such as Paris Charles de Gaulle to Lyon and Rennes, will remain unaffected as rail services are not yet operational or are longer than two and a half hours.
France is not just going after commercial plans for its high fuel consumption but also private jets which are 14 times worse than normal flights in terms of air pollution and 50 times worse than trains. Regulators will likely impose heavy taxes and restrictions to deter people from using these.
Last year, celebrity exploits on private jets were laid bare with Kyle Jenner being listed as one of the worst offenders for her 17 minute flights. She isn’t the only one as several other A listers seem to be fond of this bad habit.
According to aviation data France has the largest number of private jets in the whole of Europe and a tenth of all departures in 2019 were as a result of them.
New high speed rail lines (as part of the EUs TEN-T project) will make many short-haul flights redundant across Europe. At present, it takes more than seven hours to travel from Milan, Italy to Paris but with the opening of the 36-mile-long Mont Cenis Base Tunnel [which is being constructed under the Savoy Alps] it will take only half the time.
According to a Forbes report, EU statistics show that 17 of the 20 busiest air routes in Europe span distances of less than 434 miles which can easily be handled by intercity trains that are faster, cleaner and more sustainable in the long run.
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