Last June, France officially introduced a ban on domestic short-haul flights in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, reports Euronews. In theory, the regulation prohibits flights where there is a rail alternative of less than two and a half hours.
A year ago, critics of the ban said it was ineffective because it targeted very few routes and did not include connecting flights. The aviation industry complained that the regulation was unfair.
What are the results of the ban?
Before the ban was introduced, France's Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) estimated that the new regulation could reduce up to 55 tonnes of emissions – just 000 percent of total emissions from domestic flights in France annually.
The measure's minimal impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the subject of a challenge to the law by the Union of French Airports earlier this year, which argued the act was an "abuse of power".
The appeal was lost with the Council of State ruling that the ban was "likely to contribute in the short term to reducing emissions in the field of air transport".
More than a year after its introduction, however, there is still no official data on the results achieved directly through the ban.
“The only piece of information we have is the total emissions from domestic flights last year. They decreased by 3,4% in 2023 compared to 2022, while internationally these emissions increased. So it's really an illustration that overall domestic flights in France are down and the ban on short-haul flights is contributing to that. But in what proportion? It's hard to pinpoint. What we can say is that at the same time in 2023, the national railway company SNCF has recovered its level of business activity," said France's Transport & Environment aviation manager Jerome de Bouchard.
Positive effect
The ban will be in place for at least three years, after which the French government will consider its impact before taking further steps.
According to De Bouchard, it already has a positive effect, which is not only related to the reduction of emissions.
"The regulation is very successful as a political measure, as a legislative act. The law has been much discussed in France and its actual implementation, in whatever form, is a signal to the people. The move makes them think about what the French would call "sobriété" or moderation - is it really worth using air travel for business or leisure? It's already having a real effect on how people behave when it comes to making transport decisions," he says.
A recent DGAC national survey of travelers asked people what they would do if their travel was not possible by plane. For domestic flights, 41 percent said they would use a different mode of transportation.
According to De Bouchard, these results are a prerequisite for more regulation.
"Spain, for example, plans to introduce a similar ban on short-haul flights where there are rail alternatives under 2,5 hours. "Once a country commits to a regulation like this and it's approved by the European Commission, it becomes easier for other EU countries to consider doing it," de Bouchard points out.