Could you be affected by Spain’s potential end to short-haul flights?

The Spanish government could soon follow the same suit as France, who have now banned short-haul domestic flights that can be covered by a train.

Just last month, the French government decided to make the bold and pioneering decision to ban all short-haul flights that are able to be covered and replaced by a train journey as they look to combat climate change.

This move is looking to hopefully cut the amount of carbon emissions that France are giving off every year and now, if it is a success, then it could be a strong precedent for the rest of Europe to follow, including Spain.

The Spanish government have been threatening and talking about similar changes for a while now, so they could be one of the first countries to follow France and implement similar measures to help preserve the world.

In particular, the corridor between Barcelona and Madrid that many people use as a way of travel is one of concern and has come in for specific criticism as of late after a study showed that flights generate double the amount of emissions as trains do.

Spain could scrap short-haul domestic flights

According to the study and research, which was conducted by Mabrian and Phocuswright, there have been a massive 5,744 flights between Barcelona and Madrid in the last year, with the same journey taking just 2.5 hours on a train.

The journey between the two cities is only 630 Kilometers, so there really isn’t a need for air travel, especially when going on a train can stop the need for rigorous security checks and waiting times in lounges for many people.

Train services could be the future

Whenever people opt to fly, one passenger is responsible for the emissions of 40 Kilograms of CO2, which is ridiculous in comparison to rail travellers who’s carbon footprint is said to be just 17.2 Kilos, so scrapping short-haul flights would be a huge step for the Spanish government.

Also, it’s not as if there’s a lack of options when it comes to rail travel with it being reported that there are indeed more options when it comes to train services between Barcelona and Madrid, compared to the number of airlines and flights on offer.