The European Union has just given the green light to France’s plan to ban short-haul flights in an attempt to combat climate change.
This refers to transfers between locations where an alternative train route is available and takes 2.5 hours or less. The law was first suggested back in 2021 as part of France’s Climate Law, to the disdain of the Union of French Airports (UAF) and the European branch of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe), who contested it.
The measure in question will only affect Paris Orly-Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux and will remain valid for three years before being revisited by the European Commission.
French Transport Minister Clément Beaune called the decision a “big step forward” in the country’s efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions while others have called it a “small step” in the right direction.
The country is also pursuing measures which limit private jet use, trips which contribute far more to pollution per passenger compared to commercial planes.
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