Short-Haul Flights Now Banned in France

Short-haul flight ban will initially only affect Paris to Nantes, Paris to Lyon and Paris to Bordeaux routes

The government of France published a new decree banning short-haul flights on some domestic routes that are possible to travel by train in two and a half hours or less.

As a result of new regulation, dozens of daily flights between Paris and regional hubs like Nantes, Lyon, or Bordeaux, will be terminated, making short-haul travel ecologically cleaner, but longer for the passengers.

For example, a trip from Paris to Bordeaux will now take two and a half hours by train vs. one hour and fifteen minutes by air.

The ban will initially only affect Paris to Nantes, Paris to Lyon and Paris to Bordeaux routes, as trains between other domestic locations were deemed insufficiently frequent.

According to government officials, new regulation was designed help avert climate change and has been approved by the European Commission.

“[This] is a major step forward in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Transport Minister Clement Beaune said in a press release. “I am proud that France is a pioneer in this area.”

The ban was first introduced in France’s 2021 Climate Law, after it was proposed by a citizen’s assembly tasked with coming up with ways of reducing carbon emissions. It was bitterly contested by airlines and by the Union of French Airports, who argued that it infringes on EU freedom of movement rights.

The European Commission sided with the French government, ruling that member states may, “where there are serious environmental problems… limit or refuse the exercise of traffic rights.”

The Union of French Airports downplayed the environmental benefit of the ban, stating earlier this year that it would eliminate only 0.23% of France’s air transport emissions. Climate activists cited a similar figure to argue that the ban does not go far enough, while other critics argued that travelers will be just as likely to take their cars instead of the train, resulting in a net increase in carbon emissions.

The ban does not affect private flights, which account for dramatically more carbon per passenger than commercial routes. Beaune said last month that the government would introduce a climate surcharge for private fliers from next year, but Green politicians have called for an outright ban.