France has banned domestic flights on routes that offer reliable high-speed rail, as it takes a major step in action on climate change.

Under a government decree published on Tuesday (local time), short-haul flights across France that can instead be made in a train journey of less than 2½ hours will be grounded.

The ban essentially rules out air travel between Paris and cities such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, although connecting flights are not included.

“This is an essential step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said.

“As we fight relentlessly to decarbonise our lifestyles, how can we justify the use of the plane between the big cities which benefit from regular, fast and efficient connections by train.”

But critics have slammed the change as symbolic, noting that the cut-off is shy of three-hour high-speed rail journey from Paris to the Mediterranean port city Marseille.

“No one will be fooled by this measure: Passengers are naturally turning away from taking flights on these routes,” Guillaume Schmid, the former vice president of Air France’s pilots’ union, tweeted.

Even advocates have their concerns, as the ban will apply only to three routes after being cut back from an earlier plan of four hours.

Tweet from @Frel_

The Citizens’ Convention on Climate, an organisation created by President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 that includes 150 public members, had pushed for the four-hour cut-off. It was cut after objections from regional France, and from Air France.

According to the BBC, French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir continues to urge politicians to stick with four hours.

“On average, the plane emits 77 times more CO2 per passenger than the train on these routes, even though the train is cheaper and the time lost is limited to 40 minutes,” it said.

It also called for “safeguards that [French national railway] SNCF will not seize the opportunity to artificially inflate its prices or degrade the quality of rail service”.

Under the law, train services on the affected routes must be frequent, timely and good enough to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise fly – and able to absorb the increase in passenger numbers.

Passengers must be able to make both outbound and return rail trips on the same day, having spent eight hours at their destination.

Airlines for Europe interim head Laurent Donceel told the AFP news agency that “banning these trips will only have minimal effects” on CO2 output. Governments should instead support “real and significant solutions”, he said.

The grounding was included in a 2021 climate law that had been challenged by some airlines in the European Commission.

Air France had already agreed to back the plan, in exchange for a government-funding coronavirus financial support package in 2020.

Competitors were banned from simply filling the gap.

AFP reports that the latest step came as French politicians also debate how to reduce emissions from private jets.

Green MPs want small private flights banned altogether, while Mr Beaune has flagged likely higher climate charges from 2024.

-with agencies