France will ban short-haul domestic flights where there is a rail alternative that takes less than two-and-a-half hours.
The measure has been declared as legal by the European Commission and will see an end to flights between Paris Orly Airport and the cities of Nantes, Bordeaux and Lyon.
Brussels said the ban will be limited to three years, reviewed after two years and extended to cover connecting flights.
It can apply on routes that offer several direct connections in each direction every day and if rail services improve, three more routes could be added: between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Lyon and Rennes, and between Lyon and Marseille.
France adopted the limited ban in a 2021 climate law, and it was challenged by French airports and airline lobbies.
Thomas Gelin, Greenpeace EU climate campaigner, said: “The French ban on short-haul flights where quick train connections exist is a baby step, but it’s one in the right direction.
“The small improvement the EU has asked the French government for is welcome – but now it’s time to remove any outstanding ambiguity and make it clear to other EU countries that banning short-haul flights is the way to go for the future.”
Greenpeace said flights shorter than 1,500km are responsible for 25% of European aviation’s CO2 emissions.
It calculated that banning the EU’s busiest short-haul flights and shifting to rail wherever a train connection under six hours already exists would save the equivalent of 3.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year.