France is coming one step closer in banning short-haul domestic flights after the European Commission gave their stamp of approval on a measure to ban flights between cities if those cities are linked by a rail journey of under 2.5 hours in order to fight the scourge of airplane-borne CO2 emissions.
The usage of private jets for short journeys will also be in the crosshairs of the new law.
These new regulations for flying are all due to the Climate Law, which France passed in 2021 and was proposed by the country’s Citizens’ Convention on Climate, which is a group of citizens whose entire goal is to decrease carbon emissions.
Initially, when the internal flight ban was announced, it was challenged by the Union of French Airports and the Airports Council International’s European branch. This caused the European Commission to look into the matter.
However, the Commission signed off on France and the ban will remain in effect for up to three years.
French Transport minister Clément Beaune says, “This is a major step forward in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am proud that France is a pioneer in this area.”
