So are they saying that the flights can still operate, but only connecting passengers can use them?

Certainly at Paris CDG and Frankfurt, some of the "connecting" flights on offer are already trains. For instance, Bangkok to Dusseldorf you can book on Lufthansa either to connect on a flight Frankfurt-Dusseldorf airport or on an ICE train from the station in Frankfurt airport to Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof in the city centre.

France to increase flight taxes for €100mn rail investment
17.08.2023 - 14:46 UTC

The French government plans to finance a EUR100 million euro (USD109 million) investment in its rail sector by raising taxes on air tickets. This follows a recent ban on short-haul flights under 2.5 hours as part of efforts to promote train travel over air travel for environmental reasons.

Speaking on the radio station RMC on August 7, Transport Minister Clément Beaune confirmed existing taxes on plane tickets would be "reinforced" in the 2024 budget. "In the 2024 budget, we are going to strengthen the tax on plane tickets which already exists", he said. "It makes it possible to finance investments in the train [system]. Many people tell us that they are shocked that, often, the plane costs less than the train. We need more investment in the railroad", he said.

France first introduced what the airline industry under IATA has slammed as "discriminatory taxes" on plane tickets on July 1, 2006, with a "solidarity" tariff nicknamed the "Chirac Tax", as it was initially proposed in 2005 by French President Jacques Chirac to support aid to developing countries. In 2019, France also announced the introduction of a tax on flights from French airports to support the environment. The "Eco-Tax" was expected to raise around EUR180 million (USD196 million) from 2020. Taxes were increased in 2020. They range from EUR1.5 (USD1.6) for flights within France or the European Union (EU), to EUR3 (USD3.2) for economy-class flights, and EUR18 (USD19.6) for business-class tickets out of the EU.

Concerning a future European tax on kerosene, Beaune said this was "progressing" but required unanimity of EU member states. "It will be fairer and more necessary from an environmental point of view," he promised.

According to a Greenpeace analysis in July 2023 on Europe-wide ticket prices on planes versus trains, lower prices remain one of the main reasons people choose to fly rather than travel by train. On most routes (79 out of 112) analysed between April 25 and July 12, 2023, flights were less expensive than rail, while rail trips, on average, were twice as expensive as flights. It found that low-cost carriers operated 79% of all routes analysed.
In full: https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news ... investment

Its all about money and time. Brussels and PARIS are perfect connected by train, and often it stops at the airport. When i came in 2014 first time to PP i had a flight from Paris (CDG) and took a train from Brussels, perfect conection, only one stop, it was done in under 2 hours if i remember good and stoppped under CDG-airport. Quicker then car and even quicker then flying. If you count the check-in-time you lose at the airport, before boarding and taking off, you already would arrive in Paris if taken the train. Shit happened when i flew back in january 2015: terrorisme-attack had shut down paris and the airport was a disaster, took hours to get out and missed my train. Took another-one (wrong-company) and had some discussion with the train-controller because i was on the wrong train, he explained me: its the same that you are on an airfrance flight with a ticket from BA !! ??
But he understood the situation and closed his eyes. I love the french trains, quick and good service, better then flying !!

I took the new Laos-China Railway train from Luang Prabang down to Vang Vieng yesterday. Typical speed through the mountain tunnels was about 160KM/h. Almost all of the route between LP and VV is in tunnels, which demonstrates the amazing engineering achievement of this new railway line.