HE Debate on banning short-term flights The fact that they could be replaced by train journeys for environmental reasons became clear a long time ago, but this was only a purely theoretical option. The step taken by France last May to become the first European country to implement this has sparked debate in many countries, accompanied by various studies for and against its effects and The Spanish air sector has already been put on alert preventatively.
The Ecologistas en Acción platform reported this week that vetoing eleven airlines with alternative train journeys of less than four hours would allow for a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions from Spanish domestic connections (but only equivalent to 1.4%). published the study. emissions from all national air transport compared to the commercial aviation sector).
Since Airlines completely reject flight ban It is committed to developing the combination of different means of transport, in particular by bringing high-speed railway lines directly to major airports, in order to reduce the need for short-term air routes.
AVE to major airports
“We don’t believe in bans. “We advocate for intermodality so that the traveler can choose,” he emphasized on Thursday. Javier Gándara, President of the Airline Association (ALA), in his meeting with the press. “We advocate intermodality in the sense that AVE reaches at least Madrid-Barajas airport or also Barcelona-El Prat”, the aim being that passengers can make combined train journeys to major airports and then fly to other destinations for the same price. greater distance.
Airlines have been advocating for years the need to connect Barajas to high-speed networks, but they warn that simply having intermodal connectivity available is not enough. According to estimates by Iberia, the largest airline at Madrid airport, a proposal for eight to ten trains to pass through Barajas every hour would be needed to replace air routes potentially affected by short flight bans. A range of high-speed frequencies that may not be achieved until after 2030.
In 2026, when the high-speed train is planned to arrive directly in Barajas (currently there is only a connection with the Cercanías network), and in the first years thereafter, the offer will be at an estimated rate of one to two trains per hour, as stated by the airlines. They consider it insufficient to meet the full capacity required for a complete replacement of the aircraft.
The train already controls the main routes
High-speed rail has increasingly replaced aircraft on Spain’s major routes, with the liberalization of rail and the entry of private competitors.Iryo and Ouigo) against Renfe accelerated market capture. Inside Madrid-Barcelona train currently checks in almost 80% of passengersOn the Madrid-Valencia route, this rate rises to 90%, and on the routes between the capital and Alicante, Malaga and Seville it already exceeds 75%.
“The transfer of passengers from the plane to the train occurs naturally with the increase in high-speed supply,” Gándara explained. “But 20 percent of passengers flying from Barcelona or 10 percent flying from Valencia do so to take a connecting flight in Madrid and go to other destinations. Banning these flights would force passengers to take long-haul flights only to other European airports such as Frankfurt, Paris or Amsterdam, increasing air transport emissions and greatly reducing Barajas’ competitiveness. ‘“air hub,” said easyJet’s general manager in Spain.
“We need to ensure intermodality between train and plane and for this we need to provide an experience as similar as possible to existing connecting flights. Defending options such as further increasing fuel costs, Gándara said, “A passenger should leave his suitcase at the Valencia train station, come to Madrid airport, get on the plane to New York and pick up the same suitcase from New York.” Implementation of (SAF) or single European sky, encouraging non-swerving or zigzag flights as required by current airspace management by countries, moving towards decarbonisation of the sector compared to “more effective” measures. It is a regulation that is as effective as banning short flights.
2023 record
Airlines are holding on tourism boom To ensure the total recovery of the sector after the collapse caused by the epidemic. ALA employers’ association predicts that Spanish airports will exceed this year Historical record with 275 million passengers This figure was reached in 2019, pre-Covid, despite uncertainties arising from geopolitical tensions caused by Ukraine and the war in the Middle East.
Pre-pandemic passenger traffic in the summer season (April to October) exceeded 1.2%, and the flight offer prepared by companies for the next winter season (November to March) exceeded 12%. Levels with over 127 million locations.
In the summer, passenger traffic on both domestic and intercontinental flights is already above pre-covid levels, up 8% and 2% respectively, while intra-European flights are still below 2% due to the two main export markets. Spain, the UK and Germany still see declines of 6.5% and 11.5%. With almost the same number of flights (1% less) in summer 2019, passenger numbers are higher thanks to higher occupancy rate; 87% of seats were sold, compared to 85% before the pandemic.