France To Ban Short-Haul Flights From Paris To Three Destinations

Recently, the European Commission approved France’s decision to limit air traffic by banning short-haul domestic flights. Basically, if the same route takes less than 2.5 hours by train, it will no longer be a flight route. If you are planning a trip to France, read on to find out if this latest decision will affect your vacation.

France bans short-haul flights from Paris to three popular destinations

In an effort to lessen the country’s carbon footprint, France is banning certain domestic short-haul flights. In other words, if the same journey can be done in less than 2.5 hours by train, flights will be banned. Using that criterion, three main airport connections will initially be affected by the ban – flights from Paris to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux.

Moreover, this new rule also includes connecting flights and is expected to be auctioned within a few months, according to Forbes.

Meanwhile, the initiative was first proposed in 2021 as part of France’s Climate Law to reduce carbon emissions by limiting commercial flights. Reportedly, private jets will also be restricted from flying short distances.

Flights banned from Paris to Lyon, Nantes & Bordeaux

Initially, over the next three years, France plans to prohibit flights between Paris Orly Airport and Lyon, Nantes and Bordeaux.  Meanwhile, during that time, the country’s new green concept is to be analyzed and studied. Should the results be successful, the country will ban more short-haul flight routes

Travelers should also bear in mind that France is now limiting tourists at popular attractions in an effort to combat over-tourism. For this reason, anyone planning a trip should keep abreast of the latest news, including the short-haul flight ban.

Rail travel preferred

While Lyon, Nantes and Bordeaux will no longer feature connecting flights, each city provides excellent rail alternatives. In fact, this is one of the main reasons for the short-haul ban to be approved.

Rail travel from Paris to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux

This route has plenty of daily itineraries, including high-speed trains like the TGV, and takes two hours and 15 minutes to cover the distance.

Meanwhile, traveling from Paris to Lyon takes around two hours, while Paris to Bordeaux takes two hours and five minutes on direct fast trains.

Moreover, with climate change and the Climate Law, rail routes are the preferred option as an environmentally friendly transportation method. According to the law, this forms part of a strategy to reduce greenhouse emissions from 40 percent to 30 percent.

High-speed trains are the way to go

Recently, France has been working to improve its rail systems, giving more attention to high-speed trains. In fact, travelers are keen to travel by rail, even to international destinations. As many popular cities are reasonably close within Europe, it is often faster to travel by train than by plane. For example, journeys from London to Paris, or Rome to Naples. In fact, the Italian government is also taking necessary measures to include high-speed trains to connect top cities.

While many EU countries are pushing rail travel as an alternative, France is the first to ban short-haul flights. In fact, France’s Minister of Transport Clément Beaune recently said in a statement:

This is a major step forward, and I am proud that France is a pioneer in this area.

Moreover, Beaune expects to expand the new measure and for the country to become a reference point to other EU countries.

SimpleFlying quotes Thomas Gelin, a representative for the Greenpeace climate change organization as saying:

The French ban on short-haul flights where quick train connections exist is a baby step, but it’s one in the right direction. The small improvement the EU has asked the French government for is welcome – but now it’s time to remove any outstanding ambiguity and make it clear to other EU countries that banning short-haul flights is the way to go for the future.

While France’s transport minister is only applying the new measure to the three routes from Paris, he does plan to cut down private jets as well. Meanwhile, other EU nations, like the Netherlands, are also interested in reducing short-haul flights. In fact, according to EU statistics, 17 of the 20 busiest routes in Europe have itineraries to cover distances of less than 434 miles.

Meanwhile, for travelers, train travel takes away a lot of the stress. Flight travel involves rushing to the airport to check in on time, then hanging around for boarding. Meanwhile, at the other end, waiting for your baggage wastes valuable vacation time. This makes hopping on a high-speed train and relaxing quite tempting while watching the beautiful scenery zoom by.