Article

2020-03-09 Europe

Airlines are burning thousands of gallons of fuel flying empty 'ghost' planes so they can keep their flight slots during the coronavirus outbreak

[Business Insider] Airlines have wasted thousands of gallons of fuel running empty "ghost" flights during the coronavirus outbreak because of European rules saying operators can lose their flight slots if they keep their planes on the ground.

Demand for flights has collapsed across the globe amid growing fears about the outbreak.

Under Europe's rules, airlines operating out of the continent must continue to run 80% of their allocated slots or risk losing them to a competitor.

This has led to some operators flying empty planes into and out of European countries at huge costs, The Times of London reported.

On Thursday, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote to Airport Coordination Limited asking for the rules to be suspended during the outbreak to prevent further environmental and economic damage.

"I am particularly concerned that, in order to satisfy the 80/20 rule, airlines may be forced to fly aircraft at very low load factors, or even empty, in order to retain their slots," Shapps wrote.

"Such a scenario is not acceptable. It is not in the industry's, the passengers' or the environment's interest and must be avoided."

ACL has already suspended the rules for flights to and from Hong Kong and mainland China. However, they remain for all other flights.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-03-09 01:58|| || Front Page|| [11131 views ] Top

#1 European rules.....

I believe we may have isolated the problem.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-03-09 02:03|| 2020-03-09 02:03|| Front Page Top

#2 Great for (re)moving refugees!

Posted by Skidmark 2020-03-09 02:37|| 2020-03-09 02:37|| Front Page Top

#3 Or even removing gimmigrants.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2020-03-09 05:21|| 2020-03-09 05:21|| Front Page Top

#4 Greta to the courtesy phone. Sic a dog on a dog.

Posted by Procopius2k 2020-03-09 07:44|| 2020-03-09 07:44|| Front Page Top

#5 ^ you mean a virus on a virus?

Posted by Lex 2020-03-09 08:22|| 2020-03-09 08:22|| Front Page Top

#6 But I thought that low oil demand was going to cause a world wide recession so this should be good, right?

right??

Bueller?

Posted by AlanC 2020-03-09 08:36|| 2020-03-09 08:36|| Front Page Top

#7 The dumber the rule the more insistent bureaucrats will be that it be enforced even in extreme situations.

Posted by M. Murcek 2020-03-09 09:44|| 2020-03-09 09:44|| Front Page Top

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