Ghost planes without passengers – pointless, right? But due to the Corona crisis and the rules for allocating slots, there are currently an increasing number of empty planes on the road.
Are airlines flying empty planes so as not to lose their slots during the Corona crisis? – The most important thing to start with: Airlines use slots at airports for take-off and landing. If at least 80 percent of the capacity provided is not used, the airlines lose their slots. Now they prefer to fly with few or no passengers in order to be able to keep the slots.
Empty aircraft due to a regulation: In order not to lose their slots, an increasing number of empty aircraft are currently flying through the airspace. The reason for this is the so-called 80/20 rule. British Transport Minister Grant Shapps recently posted on Twitter that he was worried about the current situation.
Aviation demand is reduced due to COVID-19, but airlines are being forced to fly some 'ghost flights' to avoid losing their slots – bad news for the environment, airlines & passengers. I've written to the regulator to request urgent reconsideration of 80% slot utilization rule. pic.twitter.com/OsKEH2S4Ab
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 5, 2020
Allocation of slots
Slots are time slots allocated to an airline for take-off and landing at an airport.
How many slots are available depends on the capacity of the respective airport. The number of runways, type and duration of passenger processing as well as time and spatial flight bans, such as a ban on night flights, play a role here, explains aviation expert Sabine Rasch. Slots are therefore extremely valuable at many airports and must be optimally coordinated.
[mk_ad]
80/20 rule – Use it or lose it
The slots are allocated by Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), which follows the “use it or lose it” rule.
If the 80 percent allocated takeoff and landing windows are not used, airlines can lose their slots to competing companies. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, demand for flights has collapsed. The fear that important slots could be lost is currently causing airlines to prefer to operate flights without or with only a few passengers. So you consciously accept losses in order not to lose important time windows for take-offs and landings. British airlines are already expecting losses of 100 billion euros due to the Corona crisis.
Iata calls for the rule to be relaxed
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) is now calling on national authorities to relax this regulation due to the current situation. It has already been relaxed after the 9-11 incidents and during the financial crisis; the rule is currently only being suspended for some flights to China and Hong Kong.
According to Tim Alderslade, head of Airlines UK, there is no point in forcing airlines to fly empty planes, wasting money and causing CO2 emissions.
EU announces review
The EU Commission is reacting to the current situation and wants to present a new legislative proposal as quickly as possible.
“The coronavirus outbreak is having a major impact on the European and international aviation industry,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
There are fears that the situation will worsen and further declines are expected. The European Parliament and the EU states still have to negotiate the proposed law.
[mk_ad]
Source: Aerotelegraph / Airliners.de
Article image: Shutterstock / By Wang An Qi
If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:
📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.
Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!
* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )

