Paris to London journeys could soon be a thing for the past for jetsetters. - Copyright Getty/frankpeters
France is cracking down on the use of private jets for short journeys in a bid to make transport greener and fairer for the population.
Transport minister Clément Beaune said the country could no longer tolerate the super rich using private planes while the public are making cutbacks to deal with the energy crisis and climate change.
“We have to act to regulate flights on private jets,” he told Le Parisien on Saturday, partly in response to calls from the left-wing opposition for an outright ban on the polluting transport.
Private jets have been a source of outrage lately, as the city-hopping exploits of celebrities and billionaires come to light. A jet belonging to Steven Spielberg burned around €117,000 worth of fuel in the two months since June, according to flight tracking data.
A report from Transport and Environment (T&E), the European federation for clean transport, found that private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial flights per passenger mile, and 50 times worse than trains.
Despite urgent calls from campaigners, France is unlikely to impose a total ban on jets.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran reaffirmed today that it is "obviously not a question of banning them", given their important role in the economy. But “the French should not have to feel as if it’s always the same people who are being asked to make efforts".
“We can understand that a Frenchman who is careful in his daily life is shocked by the fact that some of his fellow citizens can take a private jet to make flea jumps”, he told France Inter radio listeners this morning.
Heavy taxation and restrictions are the most likely measures to be introduced. Companies could also be forced to publish details on their use of corporate aircraft, for greater transparency.
Under a climate bill approved in April, France banned domestic flights to cities which are just two and a half hours away by train. Beaune is now considering outlawing private flights to destinations that are well served by trains or airlines.
Leader of the green party Europe Ecology Les Verts (EELV), Julien Bayou, voiced his support for this measure, denouncing the billionaires who hop from Paris to London or Geneva. But he wants to go further, as EELV is tabling a bill next month to ground all private jet travel.
“Making the ecological transition requires that everyone do their part, and if the super rich, the super polluters, benefit from super exemptions, we will not be able to get out of it”, the Parisian MP told BFM TV. euronews.green - link - the fantastic Lottie Limb - link - more like this aviation) - link - more like this (France) - link
“We have to act to regulate flights on private jets,” he told Le Parisien on Saturday, partly in response to calls from the left-wing opposition for an outright ban on the polluting transport.
Private jets have been a source of outrage lately, as the city-hopping exploits of celebrities and billionaires come to light. A jet belonging to Steven Spielberg burned around €117,000 worth of fuel in the two months since June, according to flight tracking data.
A report from Transport and Environment (T&E), the European federation for clean transport, found that private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial flights per passenger mile, and 50 times worse than trains.
Despite urgent calls from campaigners, France is unlikely to impose a total ban on jets.
Government spokesman Olivier Véran reaffirmed today that it is "obviously not a question of banning them", given their important role in the economy. But “the French should not have to feel as if it’s always the same people who are being asked to make efforts".
“We can understand that a Frenchman who is careful in his daily life is shocked by the fact that some of his fellow citizens can take a private jet to make flea jumps”, he told France Inter radio listeners this morning.
Heavy taxation and restrictions are the most likely measures to be introduced. Companies could also be forced to publish details on their use of corporate aircraft, for greater transparency.
Under a climate bill approved in April, France banned domestic flights to cities which are just two and a half hours away by train. Beaune is now considering outlawing private flights to destinations that are well served by trains or airlines.
Leader of the green party Europe Ecology Les Verts (EELV), Julien Bayou, voiced his support for this measure, denouncing the billionaires who hop from Paris to London or Geneva. But he wants to go further, as EELV is tabling a bill next month to ground all private jet travel.
“Making the ecological transition requires that everyone do their part, and if the super rich, the super polluters, benefit from super exemptions, we will not be able to get out of it”, the Parisian MP told BFM TV. euronews.green - link - the fantastic Lottie Limb - link - more like this aviation) - link - more like this (France) - link
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