A sword in the water. This is the impression given by Clément Beaune, Minister of Transport since July 2022, by formalizing, Tuesday, May 23, the real false abolition of short domestic flights in the event of an alternative by a rail link of less than 2.5 hours. The cessation of these flights from Orly to Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux has been effective… since the summer of 2020.
The minister actually welcomed the recent publication of the implementing decree for the climate and resilience law voted in August 2021 by the government, which makes you smile. This ban had been suspended for the duration of an in-depth investigation by the European Commission following a complaint from part of the aviation sector which deemed it contrary to the principle of free service and unsuitable for the fight against climate change.
The law of 2021 mainly endorsed the existing one, since the abolition of short air routes by Air France - the sole operator of these services - was a consequence of the confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic with the cessation of traffic. It was also one of the counterparties for state financial support provided in the midst of a health crisis.
The implementing decree specifies the contours of the regulations. The ban does not apply to connecting flights to prevent passengers from being diverted by competition. Thus, if Nantes-Paris-New York were no longer possible, travelers would use other "vias" such as London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, for example.
During the congress of the National Federation of Aviation and its professions (Fnam) this Thursday morning at the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, Clément Beaune, answering a question from Le Point on his desire to go "further" , beyond 2:30 a.m., remained evasive. "The list of prohibited short domestic flights will be reviewed in six months to see if the rail offer improves," said the minister. The regulation must be revised in three years, according to the agreement reached with Brussels with an intermediate stage of evaluation in twenty-four months.
