"JH" == Jay Honeck writes:

JH BTW: With France's population of 60 million (compared to the
JH US population of 295 million), statistically France should be
JH expected to have around 42,000 aircraft and 3,800 airports,
JH all things being equal.

And we should have bullet trains, great scenery, world-class cities,
and great wine and cheese. Well, California has all but the first.
How's Iowa doing? World-class hog-calling contests, maybe?

JH Of course, this comparison doesn't take into account France's
JH tiny (by comparison) land-mass (which means they don't have
JH room for as many airports), but it nevertheless highlights
JH what a horrendous impact outrageous over-taxation can have on
JH aviation.

JH What a dunderheaded thing to do!

It's actually rather intelligent. Smallish land area, larger
population, means it's ideal for high-speed transit: airlines and fast
trains. Add some good highways, which they have, and voila, a pretty
decent place to live.