The affairs of European carriers are starting to “smell like kerosene”: not having yet overcome all the consequences of the pandemic, a new disaster has come for them – the struggle of European governments with domestic air transportation in favor of ecology. This trend is rapidly gaining momentum. And so the first country in the world to decide to completely ban airplane flights. We are talking about Belgium, where Federal Transport Minister Georges Gilquin has called for a ban on all domestic flights, including private planes. At the same time, we remind you that the matter is not limited to appeals.
According to the Belgian media, although Belgium is a small country, there are an average of five domestic flights per day, usually at a distance of less than 100 km/h. Moreover, private planes account for 71% of domestic flights in the country. The head of the Ministry of Transport called this situation “absurd both from an economic and ecological point of view.”
At the same time, Mr. Gilkinet said that he submitted a bill to the parliament on banning domestic flights and expressed hope that this step by Belgium will become an example for the whole of Europe. According to him, domestic flights in Belgium are “environmental nonsense”.
We remind you that the case is not limited to appeals. The French parliament has voted to suspend short domestic flights in cases where a train journey on a similar route takes no more than 2.5 hours or less. The decision was made to reduce carbon emissions and climate concerns. The law will enter into force after its approval by the Senate. The withdrawal threatens the routes Paris – Bordeaux, Paris – Lyon, Paris – Nantes, Paris – Rennes, Lyon – Marseille. Flights from Paris to Toulouse, which take four hours by train, and flights from Paris to Nice, which take about six hours by train, will remain on the schedule. Read details at this link.
Spain is also trying to follow France. They are trying to close flights there “as part of efforts to combat climate change.” According to the Spanish press, it is stated that air transportation in Spain produces twice as much carbon dioxide as high-speed trains. At the same time, only 5,700 flights were made between Barcelona and Madrid per year. The distance between these cities is 650 km, i.e. 2.5 hours by train. Read the details in this article.