Air travel, despite its enormous climate impact, is cheaper than train travel in Europe, even up to 26 times less, thanks to the tax privileges enjoyed by airlines.

This is according to a new report by Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, denouncing the failure of the European transport system and calling, among other things, for investment in the railway network and the introduction of 'climate tickets' that are affordable and easy to use.

The report examines 142 routes in 31 European countries, showing that flights are on average cheaper than trains on 54% of the 109 cross-border routes analyzed.

In Italy, the situation is even worse: on the 16 international routes involving our country, air travel is on average less expensive than using the train in 88% of cases, placing Italy fourth in the ranking of European countries where flying is cheaper than taking the train.

To this is often added a large price difference: traveling from Luxembourg to Milan costs almost 12 times more by train than by plane, from Barcelona to London up to 26 times more.

The environmental cost is enormous. Flights emit on average 5 times more CO2 per passenger per kilometer compared to trains, says the NGO. When compared to railway systems that use 100% renewable energy, their impact can be over 80 times higher.