The relaunch of the Lyon-Metz/Nancy air link annoys the SNCF

Who will win, train or plane? It’s a battle that rages even on social networks. It all started in October with the announcement of the relaunch of the air link between Lyon and Metz/Nancy by the company Twin Jet. During Covid, this line formerly operated by Hop! had been closed, then restarted once, without success. On November 7, Twin Jet posted a video on X (former Twitter) for the restart of the route.

In its publication, the company is delighted that “three passengers were able to take off in a plane” which normally contains 19 seats. In the comments, a user gets carried away: “But what a great idea, have you watched the news (heat waves, floods and everything that is still going to happen?) Does climate change speak to you? For three passengers, if it wasn’t so sad and annoying it could almost be funny.”

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The SNCF was also quick to react via its director of TGV Intercités, Alain Krakovitch. “Three passengers? I say it like that but a good ten TGV Inouis make this journey every day,” he compared. As for Twin Jet, the group told Le Figaro that it “was surprised” by this message “because we are not at all on the same market”. “Twin Jet is positioned precisely on secondary transverse connections,” says Eric Moret, general director of the company. For the latter, “the SNCF offer is insufficient and unsuitable for business travel”.

The railway company indeed offers a connection between Lyon and Metz/Nancy, with a change in Paris. Instead of an hour by plane, the journey takes 4 or 5 hours on the rails. “We would do better to continue to fight for the return of the train line,” regrets another Internet user. Faced with detractors of the empty plane, Eric Moret already anticipates “a real rebound in attendance in the coming days and weeks”.