Would it benefit the world if airplanes were outlawed?

Like most things in life, there is a balance – a calculation to be made and a middle ground to be reached.

This is a silly hypothetical – almost a trolling idea.

You can’t ‘uninvent’ something like airplanes. There is simply too much of our society that is based on the use of airplanes: manufacturing, delivery, diplomacy, lesiure travel, etc. Outlawing use of the air is patently absurd.

And if the US did something so absymally stupid, other countries wouldn’t).

Back to the idea of balance.

One can make a good case that older, pollution-spewing commercial aircraft (727s and earlier, old DC-8s and such) should be discontinued and not allowed to fly after, say, 2026. There are plenty of other newer, more fuel efficient, less poluuting aircraft that can be used.

But getting rid of airplanes altogether? Absurd.

Yes, there would be some decent benefits. I’ve often thought that getting rid of automobiles would do much to restore the environment and also the quality of life but neither is feasible at this point. Of course, one downside of banning planes would be the probability that I’d never see my kids or grandkids again.

Interesting question to speculate about.

No one’s gonna take your guns. Stop being ruled by fear.

I would say that airplanes add more benefit to the world than guns.

@Blackberry Oh, I missed the subtext and gave a straight answer!

It would probably be relative. The slower forms of transport would probably pollute just as much, or more.

No.

If all aircfraft were grounded then other means of transport ( trains,Rapid transit )and so on will take over.
By cancelling out air travel it doesn’t stop the spread of disease. It just delays it.
Also no aircraft more people would die trying to get to a specialized Hospital inanother country.

We should all be entitled to our own private plane and if, as a result, one or two a month exploded in a ball of fire in some random city street it would be entirely the fault of the pilot.

@Blackberry There was no mention nor hint of guns in the question. I meant the question just as it is.

@janbb Yours was the best answer so far. Thank you. GA.

@elbanditoroso An interesting idea. There is a happy medium I am sure. But to say it is ingrained in our society goes against the current fashion of global warming. The push is on right now to do away with internal combustion engines in a relatively short period of time, yet those are equally, and more so, ingrained in our society.

The things going on that made me think of this question was stories I have been seeing about flights getting canceled due to crews being too tired to fly. The cost of passenger airlines is getting well out of the range of most people. Covid did a huge hit to the airline industry and the continuing negatives may put them out of business for good.

I then thought about a world without airplanes. I have seen repeatedly where climate activists jet around from country to country on personal jets which is grossly polluting. That sets them up for ridicule and their message is upended. But if we are serious about climate change, wouldn’t doing away with airplanes make sense?

@seawulf575 “All Animals Are Equal but Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others”. -Animal Farm

But we’d replace them with powered ships.

If airplanes are outlawed, only outlaws will have airplanes!

anyway, that’s the gun lobby’s theory