It’s been two years since it first proposed the policy, but finally, France has officially banned short-haul domestic flights that can be covered by rail in under two and a half hours this week. The move is set to reduce the country’s carbon emissions, but which flights are affected? Could this impact tourism in France at all?

Which flights are affected?

As noted by CBS, for a domestic flight to fall into the ban, it must meet two main criteria. One, the journey must be possible by high-speed rail in less than 2.5 hours. Two, the train’s timetable must run early or late enough for passengers to spend at least eight hours at their destination. Currently, the new ban only affects flights between Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) and the following:

• Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD)
• Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS)
• Nantes Atlantique Airport (NTE)

Initially, the plan had a stricter approach, with journeys that could be made on the train in under four hours being banned. However, the time limit has now been reduced to two and a half hours instead.

While the law comes into effect now, Air France has basically been following it after a 2021 climate law and COVID-19 support package was initiated.

Why only short-haul flights?

When looking at the distance covered and the emissions released into the environment, the negative effects of these flights became clear. This is partly due to the fact that emissions are particularly high on take-off, leaving travelers with a higher per-pound footprint.

However, air travel generally accounts for 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions. This is small when compared to other industries like the overall transportation sector, industry and electricity. Despite this, studies reveal that the aviation industry is regrettably the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gases in Europe. Due to this, many leaders agree that the change does need to start somewhere.

By banning short-haul flights where emissions are high and alternatives are available, the French government hopes to start tackling the task of reducing the aviation industry’s emissions levels.

How will this affect tourism in France?

It remains to be seen how the new law will impact tourism in France this coming summer. However, with many rail options becoming available across the EU, it looks toward shifting to rail travel in general.

According to critics of the new law, the public is already coming to understand the effect that air travel emissions have on climate change. This means that many travelers are already moving over to train travel, with some saying the new law just pays lip service to reduce carbon emissions.

The ban happens at an interesting time when France hasn’t been getting the best press, leading potential visitors to choose other European destinations. Alternatively, if not generally staying away from France, many are seeking alternatives to Paris and visiting less popular destinations.

Meanwhile, the French Air Traffic Control (ATC) strikes have forced thousands of flights to be canceled at the start of 2023.

Which European nation is next?

As France becomes the first EU nation to ban short-haul flights, it will be interesting to see how this will affect neighboring countries. Which will be next in making changes to its national aviation industry? While France has been hailed for being the first with the new law, it is currently unknown which country will be next.

However, the Netherlands and other climate-conscious countries have expressed an interest in planning similar changes by banning or reducing night flights and private jets.

With the recent advent of high-speed trains and sleeper trains in Europe, it is becoming clear that rail is more comfortable and doesn’t force passengers to face early check-ins and queues at the airport that in the long run don’t reduce their journey time at all.