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Banning super short-haul flights: Environmental evidence or political turbulence?

Author

Listed:
  • Frédéric Dobruszkes
  • Giulio Mattioli
  • Laurette Mathieu

Abstract

Several countries have considered banning or even decided to ban or tax super short-haul flights, arguing that the availability of rail alternatives makes them unnecessary. Such policies result from the need for governments to be seen as acting to mitigate climate change and scholars favouring energy (climate) efficiency perspectives over the absolute amount of fuel burnt (greenhouse gas emissions emitted). Yet climate change is due to absolute emissions, and it is a fact that the longer a flight is, the greater the amount of fuel is burnt (emissions). Considering all departing flights from 31 European countries, our study found that flights shorter than 500 km account for 27.9% of departures but 5.9% of fuel burnt. In contrast, flights longer than 4,000 km account for 6.2% of departures but 47.0% of fuel burnt, although with significant variation across countries. We conclude that targeting shorter flights (which often exist to alleviate physical obstacles imposed by physical geography) will contribute little to reducing the impact of aviation on climate, and that policy initiatives that target longer flights are urgently needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Frédéric Dobruszkes & Giulio Mattioli & Laurette Mathieu, 2022. "Banning super short-haul flights: Environmental evidence or political turbulence?," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/351156, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
  • Handle: RePEc:ulb:ulbeco:2013/351156
    Note: SCOPUS: ar.j
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dlzar Al Kez & Christopher Lowans & Aoife Foley, 2024. "Sustainable Development in Third Level Programs: Distilling a Pathway to a True Net-Zero Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-34, February.
    2. Sismanidou, Athina & Tarradellas, Joan & Suau-Sanchez, Pere & O'Connor, Kevin, 2024. "Breaking barriers: An assessment of the feasibility of long-haul electric flights," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    3. Burns, Porter & Bowen, John, 2024. "Global network structure and emissions implications of long-thin airline routes," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    4. Bonilla, Xavier & Ivaldi, Marc, 2023. "Banning short-haul domestic flights: A preliminary assessment for France," TSE Working Papers 23-1482, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    5. Emami Javanmard, Majid & Tang, Yili & Martínez-Hernández, J. Adrián, 2024. "Forecasting air transportation demand and its impacts on energy consumption and emission," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 364(C).
    6. Michael Stiebe, 2023. "Stakeholder Perceptions on Sustainability Challenges and Innovations in General Aviation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-29, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Air transport; Aviation; Climate change; Greenhouse gas emissions; Short-haul flights;
    All these keywords.

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