In a move to reduce their carbon emissions, France will ban domestic short-haul flights that travel for less than 2.5 hours.
Flights between Paris Orly airport and Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux will be banned, leaving commuters to take trains instead.
The ban comes after the European Commission (EC) investigated France’s plan for a year and gave it the green light last Friday.
France and airport unions
French lawmakers first proposed the ban in 2021 as the first step to France’s Climate Law that wants to abolish short-distance flights between cities linked by trains. It faced opposition from airport unions within and outside the country which led to the EC investigations.
More bans ahead
If the ban is successful in reducing carbon emissions more short-haul flights within France will be cut. The current ban lasts three years, after which the EC will reassess it.
France is also cracking down on the use of private jets for short journeys since it has the highest number of private jets in Europe.
The move is rejoiced by European climate activists and environmentalists.