French lawmakers in the National Assembly voted on Saturday to prohibit domestic flights on all routes that could be covered by a train in less than two-and-a-half hours, Reuters reported.
The ban on ultra-short-haul air travel is part of a broader climate bill meant to help the nation cut its carbon emissions by 40% in 2030 from 1990 levels.
The bill passed despite criticism from both sides, with the aviation industry saying that during the pandemic is the wrong time to limit the hard-hit airlines, and environmental campaigners arguing that the ban is inadequate.
Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the French Industry Minister, dismissed the airline criticism, according to Reuters. The French government more than doubled its stake in Air France last week, announcing it would contribute to a 4 billion euro ($4.76 billion) recapitalisation of the airline to help it through the rest of the pandemic.
On the other side, a climate forum established by French President Emmanuel Macron had pushed for more extensive bans, with flights prohibited on routes that would be under four hours by train.
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Those campaigners may have a point. The bill would exclude connections and hubs — such as Paris Charles de Gaulle — and would effectively prohibit just five out of 108 domestic routes that airlines flew before the pandemic. Those routes are:
- Paris Orly-Rennes
- Paris Orly-Nantes
- Paris Orly-Bordeaux
- Paris Orly-Lyon
- Lyon-Marseille
The law is not yet finalized — it next goes to the French Senate before a third, final vote in the National Assembly. So it remains to be seen whether it passes in its current form.
