The world is taking its first concrete step to curb aviation’s climate impact. France has banned short regional flights starting this week, offering a high-speed train option that takes under two and a half hours. After the decree appeared in a national newspaper on Tuesday, air links between Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris-Orly were immediately affected. Within Spain, the government has already signaled consideration of similar measures. The 2050 Agenda, unveiled by Pedro Sánchez two years ago, includes this kind of policy.
Covered by the Climate Law approved in August 2021, France aims to fight climate change and slash carbon emissions from routine air travel.
The decree, valid for three years, requires the conditions of “enough frequency and enough hours” so that the rail alternative can replace the air route. It anticipates that the passenger can spend less than eight hours total at the destination will be acceptable, balancing travel convenience with environmental goals.
In addition, the policy prioritizes rail connections between cities over airports for the same routes.
In this context, French Transport Minister Clément Beaune described the measure as a meaningful step and a strong symbol in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The first case on the planet
A senior official stated, “A first in the world and fully aligned with the government’s push toward lower-emission transport modes.”
Passenger planes at an airport
But the International Air Transport Association, led by chief executive Willie Walsh, called the measure “totally ridiculous” and said, “it’s useless.” The Efe agency reported Walsh noted that if all routes shorter than 500 kilometers in Europe were removed, 24 percent of flights would disappear, yet CO2 emissions would fall by only about 3.84 percent, according to a Eurocontrol study.
Shortcuts are very harmful
Short-haul flights are a major source of aviation emissions in Europe. A study by researchers at the University of Manchester found that eliminating European short-haul flights under 500 kilometers would significantly cut aviation emissions, which amount to roughly 6 percent of total greenhouse gases. The researchers described the move as a “good measure” in the fight against climate change.
A 2021 article in Transportation Research highlighted that many flights between cities with viable public transport options within about 483 kilometers contribute most to harmful emissions. The researchers argued that reducing these flights could help achieve net-zero targets.
Lead author Antonio Filippone, from the University of Manchester’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, noted that authorities and airlines should rethink route frequencies, cut emissions, optimize networks and reduce congestion to support environmental sustainability.
Planes parked at the airport
The researchers matched air traffic data with geographic information to identify ultra-short routes that operated even before the Covid-19 disruption. Using advanced simulations to estimate door-to-door emissions, they showed that the shortest trips generate the most emissions. They urged a reevaluation of the European air network when cleaner transport options exist on the same routes.
Ban short flights in Spain to reduce emissions
Echoing scientists’ concerns, the Spanish government two years ago banned airlines on routes with train alternatives and travel times under 2.5 hours. The move drew protests from the Airline Association (ALA).
The Pedro Sánchez administration included the goal of eliminating short-haul flights in the Spain 2050 plan, which envisions a national strategy three decades out. Eliminating short-haul flights could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 2 million tons, according to government estimates.
The plan stated that flights taking less than 2.5 hours by train should be banned.
The 2050 Agenda also suggests higher taxes on frequent air travelers and proposes a tax aligned with the proximity of the destination to the plane ticket, intended to incentivize cleaner transport and adjust tax treatment toward other modes of transportation.
Pedro Sánchez’s team has floated the idea that similar measures could be adopted elsewhere to curb emissions without compromising essential mobility.
Airline concerns
The ALA warns that banning short flights or adding fees could deal a heavy blow to the aviation sector, tourism, employment and the wider economy. Eliminating flights shorter than 500 kilometers or routes under 2.5 hours would affect connections to Madrid from key points on the peninsula and would impact links to major European hubs in Paris, London, Frankfurt and Rome, potentially worsening emissions in other areas as traffic shifts.
Aviation and global emissions
Aviation accounts for about 5.9 percent of global emissions. In 2019 the sector produced more than 915 million tons of CO2, a figure representing roughly 2 percent of total global emissions. A European Aviation Safety Agency report confirmed that the climate impact of burning kerosene at altitude is higher than previously believed, with CO2 accounting for only a portion of total emissions. As such, the industry’s contribution to climate change remains substantial.
With air travel expanding in recent years, and passenger numbers in the European Union climbing from 360 million to 1.106 billion in 2018, the climate impact of aviation is more significant than many realize. Between 1960 and 2018, CO2 emissions from commercial aviation rose sharply, underscoring the need for informed policy and responsible choices in air travel.
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