Remove some domestic airlines in the name of ecology? This is the proposal that will be made by several members in the framework of the examination of the bill mobilized, currently being debated in the National Assembly. Among those elected Delphine Batho, invited Tuesday of the Tour de la question , on Europe 1. "The principle of maintaining these air links is an ecological aberration, simply," hammered the member of Deux-Sevres at the microphone of Wendy Bouchard. Except that in some cases, the main alternative, the train, is not necessarily up to ...
"The domestic flights we are talking about are substitutable"
"From the moment we can make these train journeys in an extremely fast way, there is no reason to maintain these air links", insisted Delphine Batho. "The role of the public authorities is to understand that we are in an emergency situation for the climate, that there is a countdown, that we have ten to twelve years to divide by three our emissions of gas. We can not continue as before, the domestic flights we are talking about are substitutable, there are other solutions to make the same trip in a short time. "
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This observation, Pascal Perri does not share it. Ten years ago, he wrote SNCF, a French scandal: delays, jobs destroyed, loss of earnings, secret debt, disguised subsidies . "I dispute the CO2 balance of the train.It does not take into account the costs of infrastructure," said the economist, who also points the possible consequences for Air France. "Domestic air transport also has an economic vocation, especially by fueling the hub of Roissy.What I fear is that by depriving Air France of its short-haul traffic, we come to prohibit Air France to feed Its hub, its long-haul flights that generate a little more revenue.It is likely to threaten Air France.And during this time, the Gulf companies including, which enjoy soft diplomacy benefits, come to use our market and deprive Air France of a customer base that it needs. "
"The SNCF organizes its own degeneration"
"It is not a question of suppressing the flights of correspondence," replied Delphine Batho. "It is a question of suppressing direct flights by domestic flight on routes that can reasonably be done by train.This does not concern Paris-Tarbes, Paris-Perpignan or Paris-Nice.This concerns Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Marseille , so on ... ", continued the MP. "We are in a situation where the cost per kilometer per passenger is 4 cents for the plane, while it is 10 cents on the train.The aircraft does not pay any tax on kerosene, enjoys a reduced rate VAT on domestic flights.The plane does not pay the impact it has on the climate, "said the elected, pleading for the establishment of" environmental tax on the aircraft to the benefit of rail ". It also claims "investment for network rehabilitation and lower prices".
Because this is the crux of the problem. Currently, the rail network is not in a position to take over from the airlines. "The train can be an alternative, but these trains must leave and arrive on time and there must be regular service," said Christophe Dubois, co-author of Descent into Hell: Life and Death of the SNCF . "The SNCF organizes its own degeneration: the fewer trains, the fewer users, the fewer receipts and the less trains are circulated, it is an infernal spiral that takes place", explains the journalist again. "There is also a maquis of fares ( SNCF has yet implemented a simplification of rates since May 9, ed .) Take a train today, it becomes a luxury product. internal organizational problem at the SNCF.This all explains the poor quality of service, which makes users refer to other means of transport because today in France, we lost the sense of departure to the hour."