Rail must be strengthened to replace certain domestic flights with trains – German Aviation Association

The most effective way to reduce CO₂ emissions from air travel are investments in efficiency, says the German Aviation Association (BDL) in a paper. At the same time, however, the organisation calls for "strengthening the rail network" and discontinuing domestic flights where customers can switch to "attractive high-speed train routes". To make this happen for train routes with a maximum travel time of about three hours, aviation hubs such as Munich have to be connected to the high-speed rail network, and baggage checked through to the final destination at high aviation security standards, writes the aviation industry lobby group. Another way to make air travel more climate-friendly is by replacing fossil kerosene with renewable-power-based synthetic fuels. BDL calls for the development of "sufficient production infrastructure and offering fuels at competitive prices."

With the paper, the German Aviation Association presents more detailed background on a declaration from earlier this month, in which it had called for a power-to-liquid road map to bring emissions to zero. With emissions in the sector rising fast, air traffic has become a focus of public attention, both in Germany and across Europe. Recently, German environment minister Svenja Schulze has called for “a fair CO2 price for air travel” while the Green Party has proposed higher taxes on domestic flights.