“Ghost” flights, i.e., flights that airlines have made empty on a “use it or lose it” basis to protect their right to the desired slot at European airports, create unnecessary traffic at airports, and put the airlines themselves at risk of bankruptcy, plus pointlessly poison nature. These are actually empty flights that airlines have to make in order not to lose the right to unused slots.
Since 2019, over 5,000 ghost flights have taken place at UK airports alone. These are flights with 10% or less load. In this way, 35 thousand take-offs and take-offs were performed.
“Airlines have to go to ridiculous costs to keep hard-to-get slot rights, otherwise they will go to their competitors. Also, this method creates unnecessary traffic at airports and increases air pollution,” experts say, calling for these unnecessary slot regulations “to be repealed as soon as possible.”
REFERENCE: An airport slot is a permit issued to an airline by an airport that allows a carrier to take off or land at that airport during the time slot specified in the slot.