Spain is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by implementing a ban on certain domestic flights – and as well as benefitting the planet, the move could be a win for travel advisors.
Simply put, Spain’s coalition government intends to place a ban on short-haul flights with a rail alternative of less than two and a half hours.
Originally, the plan aimed to eliminate domestic flights with rail options of less than four hours, but it was later revised to a 2.5-hour restriction.
Exceptions will be made for cases where flights connect to international routes via hub airports.
The agreement made in the Spanish congress will also look at the impact of restricting private jet usage.
French precedent
The proposed regulations follow the lead of neighbouring France, which banned similar domestic flights in May 2023.
Speaking after the French decision, Rail Europe General Manager Asia and Pacific Richard Leonard predicted other countries would follow suit – and this could benefit the travel trade.
“We know that other countries in Europe will actually follow that [French ruling] pretty quickly. It’s like, let the French do it … and then we’ll follow suit,” he said in Sydney last year.
“So that obviously means that train travel and distribution – how you can buy your tickets, how you can get to where you need to go – becomes more and more important.”
Enter travel advisors and their knowledge.
Potential impact
According to Euronews, a report by Ecologistas en Acción, a Spanish collective of 300 ecological groups, found that the original proposal could have impacted 50,000 flights annually, saving up to 300,000 tonnes of CO2.
However, the report primarily focused on routes to and from Madrid, so many of those services would be excluded from the ban as it is an international hub.
In total, it found that 11 air routes could be replaced by train trips under four hours, which would cut Spain’s carbon emissions by nearly 10 per cent.
Ineffective?
Despite its environmental benefits, opposition parties have criticised the ban on some short-haul flights as ineffective, with one party claiming the move would make Spain “less competitive”.
They argue that the reduction in emissions would be minimal, citing data from the College of Aircraft Engineers (COIAE), Euronews reported.
COIAE disagreed with similar proposals in the past, stating that they would have little impact on carbon emissions while significantly damaging the air transport industry in Spain.
As the ban undergoes further legislative processes, it remains unclear when it will be implemented and which routes will be affected.
The proposal must pass through several stages of amendments before receiving approval from the Senate and becoming law.
