Spain Proposed Ban On Short Haul Flight To Cut Carbon Emission

(Photo : Getty Images/ANDREJ ISAKOVIC)

Spain proposed to prohibit short-haul flights where there is a train option that takes less than 2.5 hours.

This move is part of Spain's 2050 climate action strategy, which aims to reduce emissions from short domestic flights and encourage more sustainable travel.

Reduced Carbon Emission

Spain's new coalition government heralds significant changes for the country's air travel.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Workers' Party has inked a coalition agreement with the far-left Sumar party that includes 230 policy promises for the next four years, including a pledge to prohibit short domestic flights.

"The train will be the means of transport of the 21st century," said Sumar leader Yolanda Díaz, insisting that short-haul flights "must end."

According to research released last month by Ecologistas en Acción, eliminating short flights where there is a four-hour rail option would save up to 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 50,000 air operations per year.

The environmental confederation identified 11 air routes that may be replaced by train journeys, reducing Spain's CO2 emissions from domestic aviation by about 10%.

Flights from Alicante, Barcelona, Seville, and Valencia to Madrid may be affected. Flights using the capital city to connect to overseas routes, on the other hand, would be exempt from the prohibition.

However, it is still unclear whether the prohibition will be implemented in Spain.

Because the PSOE-Sumar coalition is insufficient to form a majority, assistance from minor regional parties, especially Catalan separatists, is still required. Former Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has until November 27 to secure a majority, or new elections will be conducted in January 2024.

Train Travel

Train travel is becoming more popular in Spain, with rail already accounting for 90% of the Madrid-Valencia route, according to Javier Gándara, president of the Spanish airline group ALA.

However, replacing short-haul flights with train journeys is not always easy.

Getting to Madrid's Barajas Airport from a city like Valencia would entail taking a high-speed train to the capital's central station and then changing to a regional service.

As a result, connecting overseas flights are not included in the planned ban, as passengers will most likely choose to connect at other European airports instead.

Iberia, a Spanish airline, has also claimed that the frequency of trains serving major airports is currently insufficient to equal that of short domestic flights.

Rather than imposing a ban, the ALA has advocated that significant airports should be linked to the high-speed rail network, giving passengers the option of flying or using the train.

The network is quickly growing, with Barajas Airport expected to be linked by 2026.

If Spain implements the ban, it will be following in the footsteps of its Western European neighbor France, which prohibited short-haul domestic flights earlier this year.

Travelers in France were unable to fly from Paris to other famous locations, such as Nantes, Lyon, and Bordeaux.

It has also been reported that Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport plans to be the first in Europe to prohibit private planes in order to reduce pollution and CO2 emissions.

Schiphol Airport's board members believe that those who travel by costly private jets are more than capable of traveling on commercial jets, which are significantly less polluting per passenger and go to many of the same places as private planes.

However, it is unknown when Schiphol Airport will implement the aforementioned prohibition. Furthermore, the Amsterdam airport intends to discontinue overnight flights by the end of 2025.