France moves to ban short-haul flights, paving way toward cleaner aviation

A French initiative to ban commercial air travel on some domestic routes could prove to be an example for other countries seeking to make flying cleaner. The bill making its way through parliament would forbid conventional air travel when there’s an alternative by train that takes under 2.5 hours. The legislation advanced in the National Assembly over the weekend as part of a broader debate on climate legislation and still needs to go through the Senate. “This policy really has the potential to accelerate all sustainable aviation options,” said Venkat Viswanathan, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “Among them it could really push electric aviation forward.” Aviation was one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions before the coronavirus pandemic brought global travel to a halt. In 2019, the sector produced about 2% of man-made carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, according to industry group ATAG. Shorter flights are among the most-polluting. While France made domestic route cutbacks a condition of aid to the French arm of Air France-KLM last year, no country has extended the measures to its broader domestic aviation market. <br/>