Internal flights face legal ban in France

Flights would be banned as long as there is an alternative rail link and the train takes no more than two-and-a-half hours longer than flying.

The idea was first introduced as part of a law concerning mobility by the far-left La France Insoumise MP François Ruffin. The proposal was thrown out without a vote because the mobility law does not cover air transport.

The group, made up of Greens, members of the majority La République En Marche (LREM) party and independents, have now drawn up a proposal for a dedicated law and formally submitted it.

MP Sébastien Nadot said: “It should be on the order of business in September.”

He represents the Haute- Garonne as an independent after falling out with LREM over environmental issues.

The chances of the law being passed are slim, he acknowledged, because right-wingers are likely to join with the LREM majority to block it, mainly because of the effect it will have on Air France.

“But in spite of that, I have been surprised at how much support there is for it.

“At this time of urgency to try to limit global warming, to take the train when it does not take any longer than taking a plane is obviously the way forward.”

Calculations by the association Réseau Action Climat show a flight from Paris to Marseille emits 195kg of CO2, compared to 4.1kg by train.

Dr Nadot said: “To take Bordeaux as an example, the new TGV takes just over two hours to get to Paris, while airlines take one hour, so flights on that line will be banned.

“But the flight by Ryanair from Brest to Toulouse, which takes 90 minutes by air and at least seven hours by train, will not be affected.”

He said the group is talking with parliamentarians in other European countries and in the European Parliament about the issue.

“Paris-Brussels is obviously a route we should look at,” he said. “It takes no longer to fly than it does to take the TGV, yet there are 25 flights a day leaving Paris for Brussels. There is no sense to it.”

Aeronautic analyst Xavier Tytelman, who works for consultants CGI, said Air France would suffer if the proposed ban was imposed.

“Most of the internal routes barely make a profit but they play a key role in feeding Air France’s long-haul flights from Roissy,” he told Connexion.

“You cannot expect people to take all their luggage on a TGV and then haul it across Paris to another train to the airport.”

He also pointed out that many SNCF routes, such as Marseille to Paris, were already saturated.

“SNCF says there is no capacity to increase the number of trains so I do not see where these air passengers will go after a ban.” Air France did not reply to our request for comment.