PARIS (Reuters) – French lawmakers voted late on Saturday to ban domestic flights on routes that can be reached by train in less than two and a half hours as the government strives to cut carbon emissions even as the airline industry retreats . the global pandemic.
The measure is part of a broader climate law that aims to cut French CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 from 1990 levels, although activists accuse President Emmanuel Macron of watering down earlier promises in the draft law.
The vote came days after the state said it would contribute to a 4 billion euro ($ 4.76 billion) recapitalization of Air France, more than doubling its stake in the flag carrier, to keep its finances up after more than a year of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher rejected criticism from the aviation industry that a pandemic recovery was not the time to ban some domestic flights, saying there was no contradiction between the bailout and the climate law.
“We know that aviation contributes to carbon dioxide and that climate change means we need to reduce emissions,” she told Europe 1 radio. “Likewise, we must support our companies and not let them out.”
Air traffic may not return to pre-crisis levels for 2024, McKinsey analysts predict.
Some environmentalists have said the bill doesn’t go far enough. A climate forum set up by Macron for citizens to shape climate policy had called for flights on routes where the train journey takes less than 4 hours to be canceled.
Saturday night’s vote in the National Assembly was the first. The bill goes to the Senate for a third and final vote in the lower house, where Macron’s ruling party and allies dominate.
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Reporting by Richard Lough; edited by Barbara Lewis