Earth Day: Business travellers are increasingly willing to give up flying

According to a report by the US ratings agency Moody's, 'Around 10%-30% of business travel could be replaced by alternatives such as virtual meetings.' – Photo: Shutterstock, via AFP

Will taking the plane for a business trip soon become a thing of the past? The need for business flights, which are increasingly criticised for their negative environmental impact, is now being re-evaluated. At the same time the advent of widespread video-conferencing during the health crisis has led to the adoption of new habits. It appears that many business travellers are more than willing to give up flying.

In the wake of stormy debates on March 29 and April 17, the French parliament finally voted to outlaw domestic flights of less than two and a half hours in cases where a direct train link already exists. The new measure, which has been decried as harsh by France's airlines and insufficient by the country's environmentalists, aims to limit CO2 emissions caused by air travel.