An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said there are no plans to ban domestic flights in Ireland.
France has banned short-haul flights, where people are able to get a train instead, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.
It comes as the Environmental Protection Agency has warned Ireland is set to significantly miss its 2030 emissions targets.
Mr Varadkar said there are legitimate reasons for internal Irish flights.
"Bear in mind somewhere like Donegal, for example, is relatively remote," he said.
"There's no train service, there's no motorway.
"It's not the same as France that have been building high-speed trains for 100 years, have underground systems, have motorway systems.
"It's a country that's been wealthy for 100 years - we've only been wealthy for 20 or 30, so I think you need to bear that in mind".
An Aer Lingus regional aircraft departs Cork Airport for Edinburgh, Scotland in April 2017. Picture by: David Creedon / Alamy Stock PhotoMr Varadkar said the issue of Ireland's geography is sometimes forgotten about.
"There are parts of Ireland - our islands, Donegal for example - where that air service is really important," he said.
"I've been on that flight: it's people connecting to Dublin to receive cancer treatment sometimes.
"That's sometimes, I think, missed from the argument.
"It's not the same as a mainland Europe country; we're an island and we've a very dispersed population," he added.
Reporting by: Sean Defoe
