The French National Assembly voted to ban all domestic flights by passenger aircraft over distances that can be covered by train in no more than 2.5 hours.
This is a slightly less stringent version of the restrictions originally recommended by the Climate Change Commission – a 4-hour train travel ban.
The measure, which has received multi-party approval, is part of an overall effort by the country’s legislators to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1999. The law has yet to be considered and approved by the French Senate, after which it will return for a final vote in the National Assembly.
An example of a route that will be subject to the new restrictions is a flight from Paris Orly Airport to Bordeaux, a port city in the southwest of the country with a population of a quarter of a million.
Newspaper headline:
Train instead of plane