From this Wednesday, France is banning regional flights if an alternative train stays for a long time. less than two and a half hours Following the publication of the decree in the French newspaper this Tuesday, it took immediate effect on air links between Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris-Orly.
covered by this measure Climate Law Approved in August 2021, it aims to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions from such regular air transport services.
In the decree applied for a period of three years, train journeys “enough frequency and enough hours”, the connection must allow the passenger to spend more than eight hours a day at the destination.
In addition, it is obligatory to make it between the route of the railway service. stations serving the same cities more than those airports.
“However, considering the more important of these two airports, average traffic last registered seven yearsprovides direct service with high-speed train service, the station to be taken into account in the application of the provisions of this section will be the station serving this airport.
In this context, the French Minister of Transport, Clement Beaunecelebrated that this measure is an important step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“A first in the world and is fully in line with the government’s policy to encourage the use of less greenhouse gas-emitting modes of transport,” he said.
However International Air Transport Association (IATA), through its chief executive Willie Walsh, described the measure as “totally ridiculous” and “it’s useless.”
In this sense, Walsh said that if all routes shorter than 500 kilometers in Europe were eliminated, 24 percent of flights would disappear, but on the other hand, CO2 emissions they would have dropped just 3.84% according to a Eurocontrol report.
In addition, airline employers A4E, “Banning these trips will have little effect” On CO2 emissions. He also stated that governments should support “real and meaningful solutions” to the problem.