Spain considers banning short-haul flights to combat climate change, following France’s example

Spain could be the next European country to halt short-haul flights, as part of efforts to combat climate change. Madrid could follow the example of France whose ban on domestic flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than two-and-half hours became effective last month, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. Authorities in Spain already unfolded plans to take similar steps, after the Spanish Prime Minister’s 2050 Agenda, introduced about two years ago, consisted of similar measures. According to the Murcia Today report, a study revealed that air travel in Spain generates twice the carbon footprint of high-speed trains. The research by travel experts Mabrian and Phocuswright revealed that there have been a total of 5,744 flights between Barcelona and Madrid over the past 12 months or a journey of just 630 kilometres that the train can make in about 2.5 hours. In addition, the study provided by Mabrian noted that the total CO2 emissions generated by the air service in 2022 amounts to about 54,000 tonnes, which accounts for a total 132 per cent increase in emissions in comparison to 27,000 tonnes that would be emitted by trains consisting on the same number of travellers.<br/>