The "Spain 2050" plan, presented by the President of the Government - Pedro Sánchez, includes the recommendation to ban flights on those journeys that can be made by train in less than two and a half hours in order to reduce the impact on the environment.
"A more efficient, digital, green and fairer country. This is our project and it is possible to achieve it. The strategy we present includes 50 objectives, approximately 9 challenges, which we must achieve in order to consolidate ourselves as one of the most advanced countries in the world and in Europe. ", stressed Sanchez. A similar proposal was made in France.
Spain wants to ban domestic flights in favor of train travel.
This is not the only governmental measure that is intended to be imposed to discourage this means of transport and to support more sustainable ones. In the "Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan" that Moncloa sent to the European Commission, the Executive has already raised the proposal to "revise the taxation of the air sector to act on emissions from these sectors on the environment."
It goes without saying that this decision has already been harshly criticized by those in the tourism sector who said that these proposals are "Irresponsible, anti-competitive and harmful to all Spanish tourist destinations" - said the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT).
Experts support a ban on flights that can then be made by train in less than two and a half hours.
A ban that would not affect air transport between Madrid and Barcelona, as currently this route can be completed at high speed (AVE) in two and a half hours or more (depending on the ticket chosen). It would also not affect journeys between the cities of Madrid and Malaga or Madrid and Seville, but it would affect journeys between Madrid and Valencia, as this journey can currently be made in less than two hours by AVE.
In addition, the plan proposes to adjust the road transport tax to the actual use of the vehicle, addressing all the negative impacts generated and ensuring greater coherence between the type of vehicle purchased and the needs of the service. Hoteliers have already warned that "It is a mistake to propose such initiatives in the midst of a pandemic" and warned that they would prolong the crisis in Spain and the plight of tourism workers and entrepreneurs.