Germany is to cut carbon emissions by discouraging short haul flights.

The German Aviation Association and Deutsche Bahn, the country’s main rail company, have announced a plan to reduce emissions by encouraging more people to switch from planes to trains for domestic travel.

More high speed rail connections

The two organisations have signed an agreement to offer more high-speed rail connections on routes currently served by short-haul flights. They expect the move will result in more than 20 per cent of plane passengers, or about 4.3 million people a year, choosing to travel by train instead.

The measure to encourage high-speed rail connections could cut a sixth of the carbon dioxide emissions currently generated by domestic air travel. Domestic flights in Germany are mainly used by business travellers and tourists catching connecting flights from one of the country’s major airports.

The announcement comes a week after France voted to move towards a ban on domestic flights, where the same journey could be made by train in less than 2.5 hours.

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