Government to debate short-haul flight ban

The Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge Commission of the Congress of Deputies scheduled the debate and vote today on a non-law proposal from Sumar on the prohibition of short-hail, domestic flights.

Air routes with train alternatives of up to three hours would be affected, such as flights routes Madrid-Barcelona, ​​Madrid-Seville, Madrid-Málaga, Madrid-Valencia, Madrid-Alicante and Barcelona-Valencia.

The coalition government agreement between the PSOE and Sumar includes a proposal to reduce peninsular air routes in Spain when there is an alternative to train travel of up to 2.5 hours.

The Citizen Assembly for the Climate – made up of 100 people and promoted by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge – has already proposed in 2022 to “minimise domestic flights in Spain when there are alternatives by train”, with a minimum of 350 kilometres for flights in a plane.

Sumar’s non-legal proposal urges the Government to prepare a report that analyses the reduction in emissions that would mean promoting the reduction of short flights with a three-hour rail alternative.

Year on year, pollution of CO2 from flights has increased 14% in Europe, according to the latest data, and, moreover, the airlines are not seemingly doing enough to reduce that figure, despite so-called greenwashed claims based around the environmental impact is caused by the increase in flights, as the pollution per departure has increased by 5%. Ryanair recently claimed that their strategy is for flights to reduce pollution by 20%, whilst at the same time announcing an increase in flights of 40%.

In addition, it asks the Government to work to promote the approval of a directive in the EU on the taxation of energy products, including kerosene for aviation.

Likewise, Sumar defends that the Government prepare a report on European initiatives regarding measures to apply to restrict private jet flights.

Sumar indicates that the aviation sector is responsible for between 5% and 8% of the global climate impact. “If no action is taken, aviation emissions are expected to double by 2050”.

Furthermore, these emissions are produced by “a very small part of the population,” according to Sumar, since “more than 80% of the world’s population has never flown and the 10% of the population with the highest incomes globally consume 75 % of energy used in air transport”. “The only way to reduce aviation emissions is by reducing air traffic,” adds the political party promoted by Minister Yolanda Díaz.

On the other hand, Sumar indicates that the “most urgent” strategy to reduce air traffic is to “end the regulatory advantages of aviation over the most sustainable forms of transportation.”

“Kerosene is the only fossil fuel (aside from heavy marine oil) that is exempt from tax in almost all countries. Airline tickets for domestic flights enjoy a reduced IVA (10%). It is estimated that this loss of recapture in state coffers amounts to about 40 billion euro annually in the European Union,” they argue.

In addition, they point out that the global network Stay Grounded has proposed other measures, such as establishing limits for short-haul flights, moratoriums on airport expansion projects and a surcharge for frequent travellers that would make all their flights more expensive, although they could enjoy a flight free of this extra cost every two years.

According to Ecologistas en Acción, 11 air routes could be replaced with a rail alternative of up to four hours, which would mean an annual net saving of 303,125 tons of CO2 emissions and 50.6 million euro per year in externalities.

Replacing mainland air routes in Spain with train trips of up to three hours would mean saving less than 0.05% of total CO2 emissions in Spain and 0.13% of those in the transport sector, according to the Committee of Sustainability of the Official College of Aeronautical Engineers of Spain (COIAE), representing the aeronautical sector.

Sumar indicates that the reduction of short flights is a measure that “is spreading” in Europe. Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Sweden have dispensed with flights that cover distances of less than 400 kilometres or have a 2.5-hour rail alternative.

According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), every year 25,000 people die prematurely in Spain from diseases aggravated by poor air quality. A fact which is also still being ignored by local authorities still dragging their feet installing the mandatory low emissions zones.

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