France bans air travel that can be done in less than 2.5 hours by train

Trains at Grand Vitesse. “/>

The French National Assembly on Sunday voted to ban a short-haul flight in favor of train travel. If the measure is formally approved, it means the end of domestic flights on routes where the journey can also be completed within 2.5 hours or less by train.

This is the kind of news that will have some cheers if one of the richest countries in the world makes a strong statement about the need to reduce carbon emissions. There is probably less impact than you would first expect. For starters, connecting flights are not affected, so international travelers do not have to navigate the train system from Charles De Gaulle International Airport.

In fact, French lawmakers are only proposing to cancel five routes in total. Yes, just five: Paris Orly to Bordeaux, Paris Orly to Lyon, Paris Orly to Nantes, Paris Orly to Rennes and Lyon to Marseille. And while France has a high-speed train network that we in America can only look upon with envy, the French government is just as happy to offer state support to its airlines as trains – last week it announced that it would raise $ 4.8 billion (€ 4, billion) in Air France to help the airline while defending the pandemic.

“We know that aviation is a contributor to carbon dioxide and that we need to reduce emissions due to climate change. We must also support our companies and not allow them to fall by the wayside,” said Interior Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher. sake, said.