European Commission greenlights France’s short-haul flight ban

The European Commission has given the go-ahead for short-haul flight bans from Paris Orly Airport to Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux, where there is a decent rail alternative of up to 2h30mins. This announcement and subsequent ban forms part of the country’s 2021 Climate Laws.

The routes from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to Bordeaux and Nantes will, however, be excluded from this measure, because the rail services are longer than two hours 30 minutes. Flight routes from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Rennes and Lyon are also currently excluded from the ban due to the present state of the rail services.

The commission also clarified that the ban can only take place if there are sufficient rail routes both ways.

It is also worth noting that in the EU publication, French authorities have clarified that “The situation regarding banned routes and routes potentially affected by the ban (mainly domestic routes connecting Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, and Lyon Saint Exupéry airports to destinations served by high-speed rail routes) will be examined ahead of each scheduling season.”