France has formalised its ban on domestic flights for journeys that can be completed in less than two-and-a-half hours by train. The move was included in a 2021 climate law is actually already in practice.

The change mostly rules out air trips between Paris and regional hubs such as Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux, with connecting flights unaffected.

The law also specifies that train services on the same route must be frequent, timely and well-connected enough to meet the needs of passengers who would otherwise travel by air – and able to absorb the increase in passenger numbers.

People making such trips should be able to spend eight hours at their destination while making outbound and return train journeys on the same day.

The law applies only to commercial flights, not private jets. The government had already secured Air France’s compliance with the plan in exchange for a 2020 Covid financial support package. Competitors are prohibited from providing alternate flight services.

The original proposal initiated by the citizens’ convention on the climate – was to ban any flight for journeys that could be done within six hours by rail, but this was watered down before the bill was passed.

Critics have noted that the cutoff point for comparable train journeys is shy of the roughly three hours it takes to travel from Paris to Mediterranean port city Marseille by high-speed rail.

The step comes as French politicians have also been debating how to reduce emissions from private jets.