https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65687665 BBC Homepage * Skip to content * Accessibility Help * Your account * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * More menu More menu Search BBC * Home * News * Sport * Reel * Worklife * Travel * Future * Culture * Music * TV * Weather * Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu * Home * War in Ukraine * Climate * Video * World * US & Canada * UK * Business * Tech * Science More * Stories * Entertainment & Arts * Health * In Pictures * Reality Check * World News TV * Newsbeat * Long Reads * World * Africa * Asia * Australia * Europe * Latin America * Middle East France bans short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions * Published 7 hours ago Share close panel Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics * Climate change A composite image showing an Air France Boeing 777 and a high-speed TGV trainImage source, EPA/ Getty Images Image caption, Climate activists had proposed scrapping plane journeys where train journeys of under four hours existed France has banned domestic short-haul flights where train alternatives exist, in a bid to cut carbon emissions. The law came into force two years after lawmakers had voted to end routes where the same journey could be made by train in under two-and-a-half hours. The ban all but rules out air travel between Paris and cities including Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, while connecting flights are unaffected. Critics have described the latest measures as "symbolic bans". Laurent Donceel, interim head of industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E), told the AFP news agency that "banning these trips will only have minimal effects" on CO2 output. He added that governments should instead support "real and significant solutions" to the issue. Airlines around the world have been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with website Flightradar24 reporting that the number of flights last year was down almost 42% from 2019. The French government had faced calls to introduce even stricter rules. France's Citizens' Convention on Climate, which was created by President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 and included 150 members of the public, had proposed scrapping plane journeys where train journeys of under four hours existed. * Guilt-free flying not in easy reach - scientists * Should we get rid of air miles for climate change * World aviation agrees 'aspirational' net zero plan But this was reduced to two-and-a-half hours after objections from some regions, as well as the airline Air France-KLM. French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir had earlier called on lawmakers to retain the four-hour limit. "On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes," it said. It also called for "safeguards that [French national railway] SNCF will not seize the opportunity to artificially inflate its prices or degrade the quality of rail service". Chart showing emissions from different modes of transport Related Topics * France * Climate change * Air travel * Coronavirus pandemic More on this story * Guilt-free flying not in easy reach - scientists + Published 28 February Plane with contrails * World aviation agrees 'aspirational' net zero plan + Published 7 October 2022 airline * France moves to ban short-haul domestic flights + Published 12 April 2021 A composite image showing an Air France Boeing 777 and a high-speed TGV train * A few frequent flyers 'dominate air travel' + Published 31 March 2021 Passengers at International Arrivals, Heathrow * France announces ban on outside heaters + Published 27 July 2020 Terrace in Paris - file picture * Air France 'must cut domestic flights to get aid' + Published 4 May 2020 Parked Air France aircraft * 'Rising chance' of exceeding 1.5C climate target + Published 9 July 2020 heatwave * Air France set to cut more than 7,500 jobs + Published 3 July 2020 Air France plane Around the BBC * Should we get rid of air miles for climate change Top Stories * Ron DeSantis to launch 2024 candidacy on Twitter + Published 48 minutes ago * US distances itself from incursion into Russia + Published 15 minutes ago * Is time running out for a debt ceiling deal? + Published 2 hours ago Features * Risk and reward as DeSantis links arms with Musk Ron DeSantis and Elon Musk * Can China overtake the US in the AI marathon? 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