From Naples-Milan to Palermo-Rome: why flying is often cheaper than the train

There is a growing debate in Europe on the need to reduce short-haul flights, favouring rail transport as a lever to cut emissions. According to the latest Greenpeace report, Italy is in a delicate position: despite one of the most extensive high-speed rail networks, the gap with air transport remains wide, both in terms of supply and price. The document highlights how domestic and European flights with origin or destination in Italy are among the most competitive in terms of prices, often significantly lower than the cost of rail tickets on the same routes.

The situation on domestic routes is emblematic: Rome-Milan, one of Europe's busiest routes, shows train tickets averaging between 60 and 90 euros, while low-cost companies manage to offer air fares even below 30 euros. On the Rome-Palermo route, a night train with a sleeper starts at around EUR 70, but a direct flight can cost less than EUR 40 with Ryanair or Wizz Air. The situation is similar for the Turin-Naples route, with the train often exceeding EUR 90, while the flight remains around EUR 40-50. The gap becomes even more pronounced on international routes. On the Luxembourg-Milan route, Greenpeace found flights starting at €18.49 (easyJet) against train fares in the region of €214: the train costs over 11 times more.

Similarly, on the Barcelona-Milan route, the low-cost flight is €19.99, while the train can cost over €215. The only positive exception is proximity routes such as Ljubljana-Milan, where the train is cheaper, but these are rare cases: 88% of the international Italian routes analysed by Greenpeace see the train more expensive than the plane. The disproportion penalises rail, despite being the most sustainable solution: a rail journey can emit up to 10 times less Co₂ than an aeroplane connection on the same route. The report also shows that 72% of the most polluting air routes in Italy have a rail alternative under six hours, but without regulatory intervention, rebalancing remains a long way off.

The issue of public subsidies weighs further: the airline sector enjoys fuel tax breaks and low environmental taxes, while the rail sector continues to rely mainly on ticket revenues and infrastructure investments. Airlines pay neither fuel taxes nor VAT on international tickets, while trains pay high tolls for infrastructure use, 10% VAT and excise duties on energy. Added to this are subsidies to regional airports and the aggressive policies of low-cost airlines, which market tickets even at 10-20 euro, often below cost, recovering margins from ancillary services.

Rail transport, on the contrary, operates with a more rigid tariff structure and without the support of a favourable tax regime. In the absence of corrective measures, the result is a distorted market, where the more polluting means of transport continues to be cheaper than the more sustainable one. This imbalance, Greenpeace points out, distorts competition and hampers the transition to low-emission mobility. For Italy, the challenge is not only environmental but also industrial and economic. On the one hand, the high-speed network represents a strategic asset and an example of technological excellence; on the other, without adequate regulatory and fiscal support, it risks remaining underused compared to its potential.