Spain is the second country in Europe to consider banning flights operating on short-haul domestic routes.
SHORT-HAUL FLIGHT BAN
Spain is thinking of banning selected short-haul domestic flights as part of its plan to reduce carbon emissions.
EuroNews.Green reports that domestic flights where rail alternatives of less than two and a half hours exist may no longer be allowed in Spain.
The exception is for connecting flights for major international routes.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
The move is part of an agreement made by parties in Spain’s multiparty government.
Spain has been considering a flight ban on short domestic routes since 2021.
The initiative is part of its 2050 climate action plan, seeking to reduce carbon emissions.
LIMITED BENEFITS
Last year the College of Aircraft Engineers (COIAE) said it disagreed with the plan to eliminate short domestic flights, stating that this would have just a small impact on carbon emissions.
Instead, it felt that the move could damage Spain’s air transport sector, with minimal gains in carbon emission reductions.
AMENDMENTS
The initial draft proposal was aimed at scrapping Spanish domestic flights with durations of less than four hours.
It would have saved up to 300,000 tonnes of CO2 and 50,000 flights per year, according to a study released last year by Ecologistas en Acción.
However, this has now been reduced to two and a half hours.
CO2 REDUCTIONS
Spain’s environmental groups have said that eleven air routes could be replaced by train journeys of under four hours, thus cutting Spain’s CO2 emissions by nearly 10 percent.
There has been some opposition from various parties in Spain, saying the ban would make Spain less competitive.
SPAIN STEPS INTO ACTION
It is not confirmed when the requirement will be introduced or which routes will be affected.
The initiative must still undergo several stages of review before it can be approved and become law.
FRENCH FLIGHT BAN
France implemented this initiative last year, for flights of under two and a half hours.
The French government officially banned domestic flights for journeys that can be made in under two and a half hours by train in May 2023.
