Intermodality.

By shifting short-distance traffic to rail, the aviation industry aims to contribute to climate protection. To achieve this, it cooperates with Deutsche Bahn wherever possible. Purely domestic air traffic, where both the departure and destination are within Germany, accounts for around 0.3 percent of the country’s total CO₂ emissions.

Structure of Domestic Air Traffic in Germany

Domestic air travel serves two functions: on the one hand, it is an essential part of long-distance travel by transporting passengers to their international connecting flights at the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. On the other hand, it connects major German cities, particularly when the distance between them exceeds 500 kilometers.

In recent years, the shift of domestic air traffic to rail and road has accelerated. In decentralized traffic – domestic flights that neither originate nor end in Munich or Frankfurt – seat availability in 2023 amounted to only 25 percent of the 2019 level. One reason for this is the increased use of digital communication, which has led to a decline in business travel. In domestic traffic to hub airports, capacity stands at 61 percent compared to 2019.

Strengthening Cross-Modal Cooperation

In 2021, the German Aviation Association (BDL) and Deutsche Bahn adopted a joint action plan to strengthen intermodality and promote increased use of rail transport. The goal is to network different modes of transport so that their respective traffic, economic, and environmental advantages can be better utilized and combined.

Experience shows that passengers increasingly choose rail when there is an attractive infrastructure connection between cities, a dense rail service, and the travel time by train does not significantly exceed three hours. By gradually expanding rail services and stabilizing the quality of rail transport, the shift from air to rail in short-distance traffic can continue to progress.

In international air travel, however, travel time is a key selling point: travel and transfer times make connecting rail services over longer distances less attractive in the international competition. To encourage customers to switch to rail in connecting flights, it is essential that rail transport ensures punctual connections, reliable baggage transport, and short travel times. By coordinating air and rail travel, CO₂ emissions could be reduced, and passengers would have greater flexibility in choosing their mode of transport and planning their journeys.

Taking the Train to the Plane

Air and rail transport have been working together successfully for many years to strengthen feeder traffic on the railways. Reliable cooperation offers in the area of rail-air intermodality have been established and are exemplary, even by international standards:

• Lufthansa Express Rail: Complements and replaces feeder flights of Deutsche Lufthansa. These train connections carry an LH flight number and are treated like a flight.
• Rail&Fly: A feeder service by Deutsche Bahn to and from all German train stations, offered in combination with an international flight by cooperating tour operators and airlines.
• Good for Train: Airlines (Deutsche Lufthansa, Eurowings, and Condor) can offer their passengers alternative transportation with Deutsche Bahn in the event of disruptions in domestic air travel.

Shifting air travel to rail can only succeed with customer-friendly mobility options. A shift by decree cannot succeed in international connecting traffic. If passengers in Germany are not offered a comfortable and time-competitive travel option, they will switch to airports abroad. This would not reduce emissions but merely shift them to foreign competitors.

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