The bill is part of Spain’s climate action plan for 2050, but it is not yet known how many flights will actually be affected.
Spain wants to ban some short-haul domestic flights that have a rail alternative that completes the same journey in less than two and a half hours. The strategy is part of the country’s climate action plan for 2050 and has been talked about since 2021.
Spain could become the second European country to adopt this measure, after the French government introduced the same bans in May 2023.
The restriction is part of an agreement made in the Spanish Congress, but it is not yet known how many flights will be affected in practice.
Initially, the project included the elimination of short-haul flights with train alternatives of less than four hours, which would result in the reduction of up to 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and 50,000 flights a year, according to a study released last year by the environmental group Ecologistas en Acción (Ecologists in Action).
The environmental group said that 11 air routes could be replaced by train journeys in less than four hours, resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions by almost 10% in Spain. The report focused mainly on flights to and from Madrid, many of which should not be covered by the current ban as it is an international airport.
The Spanish government document indicates that it is studying the possibility of extending flight bans to private jets – which are often the main culprits of inefficient, CO2-emitting short-haul journeys – and analyzing the impact of a European Union directive on the taxation of energy products, including kerosene used as aviation fuel, according to the Euronews.
According to Greenpeacein 2022, more than 45 000 private jets departed from a Spanish airport, emitting 243 000 tons of CO2. However, the same study shows that many of these private jets went to luxury party destinations on Spanish islands such as Ibiza, which have no alternative rail routes.
Another disadvantage pointed out to the project is that rail transportation is generally more expensive than air transportation. In other studyGreenpeace analyzed 14 routes in, from and out of Spain, concluding that on 13 occasions the plane was the cheapest option. Train tickets in Europe are, on average, twice as expensive as plane tickets and up to four times more expensive in Spain.
The proposed legislation contains a clause that provides for an exception: “cases of connection to hub airports connecting to international routes”. Given Madrid’s central location in Spain and its status as a hub airport for international flights, as well as Barcelona, the number of domestic flights that would be cut by the new legislation will probably end up being minimal.
In its report, Ecologistas en Acción states that, due to this exemption, the ban in Spain would be “purely symbolic”.
Opposition politicians also argue that the specific clauses of the ban would have little effect, as happened in France (where the ban affected only three routes between Paris-Orly airport and Bordeaux, Nantes and Lyon), and would make Spain “less competitive”, without any significant positive effect on the environment.
Even so, airlines are likely to vehemently oppose the Spanish government, regardless of its apparently insignificant impact on routes.
The bill is still at an early stage and will have to go through several more stages of amendments before it is approved by the Senate and finally becomes law, and there is no timetable for the bill’s approval.
Making the exchange trip by train, bus or shared car gives students a bonus of 50 euros and four days’ subsistence allowance. The Erasmus program
Besides the great relief it would give the planet, it is believed that electric technology in aviation would transform cities, bringing airports closer to the
This article addresses an action that promotes the adoption of urgent measures to fight climate change and its impacts. SDG 13 also aims to improve education on climate change mitigation and impact reduction.
To discover businesses that are actively working to contribute to this Sustainable Development Goal, click here. To read news, interviews or tips related to this Goal, click here.Esta publicação também está disponível em:
Português (Portuguese (Portugal))
Para estar a par de tudo o que acontece na área da sustentabilidade, consumo responsável e impacto social.
