The European Commission (EC) has given France approval to ban in-country short-haul flights where alternative train options can get travelers to the same destination within 2.5 hours or less. The ban, a first in Europe, will initially be in place for three popular routes flying between Paris-Orly and Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. These flight routes will be banned for three years and then reassessed by the EC.

The EC scaled back France’s initial plan to ban eight short-haul flights after the Union of French Airports and Airports Council International challenged the measure when it was first introduced as part of France’s Climate Law in 2021. The Commission determined that five of the proposed flights — between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes and Rennes as well as between Lyon and Marseille — could not be banned because they either lacked a proper 2.5 hour rail alternative or the rail options were unavailable early in the morning or late into the evening. 

France takes aim at limiting private jets

The announcement coincides with France’s move to also crack down on flights on private jets. With the country’s ultra-rich making trips from Paris to the French Riviera a weekend routine, France is home to the highest number of private jet flights in Europe. The trips may be convenient for the travelers, but they’re costly to the environment.

A 2021 report from Transport & Environment revealed that private jets release 10 times more carbon…