France Implements World's First Ban on Short-Haul Flights for Climate-Friendly Train Travel

France has officially banned domestic flights on short routes that can be covered by train in less than two-and-a-half hours, in an effort to reduce airline emissions. The measure was included in a 2021 climate law and already applied in practice, but some airlines had asked the European Commission to investigate whether it was legal. The law specifies that train services on the same route must be frequent, timely, and well-connected enough to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise travel by air. Critics have noted that the cutoff point for comparable train journeys is shy of the roughly three hours it takes to travel from Paris to Mediterranean port city Marseille by high-speed rail.