Between October and December 2021, nearly 500 ‘ghost flights’ departed the UK per month, according to the data.
That information received through freedom of information Guardian’s request shows Heathrow, Aberdeen, Manchester, Stansted and Norwich are among the top five airports. for such flights during the period.
Ghost flights are defined as with without passengers or less than 10% of passenger capacity. The Civil Aviation Authority data only includes international flights departing from the UK rather than arriving, or any domestic flights.
Flight one of most polluting activities people may undertake, and the ghost flights have angered those who for action on climate crisis. Nearly 15,000 ghost flights left UK between start of pandemic Covid-19 in According to The Guardian, March 2020 and September 2021. in February. This was reported by the German airline Lufthansa. in January, by March she will need to make 18 thousand “unnecessary” flights.
Such flights are accused on in system in busy airports, whereby airlines are generally required to run 80% of their flights, empty or not, to keep their seats. That rule was suspended during the pandemic and reintroduced at 50% in October 2021, but it didn’t seem to make a significant difference. changed room of monthly ghost flights.
Tim Johnson of The Aviation Environment Federation said: “Average UK airline occupancy rates have risen significantly. in in last six months of 2021, although the November peak of around 70% is still significantly below 86% achieved before the pandemic. But it didn’t change the number of ultra low capacity flights in our sky every month.
“If you change market state cannot solve this problem then government must act to do so,” he said. “His recent statement earlier that aviation could be net zero by 2050 with a 70% increase in the number of passengers (from the level of 2018) is hard to believe when there are such obvious examples of inefficiency in in current system. Correction of these should be a priority.”
That government regulates aviation, but no data made public on room of ghost flights. Airlines only know in true number, but did not provide this data at the request of the Guardian.
” public deserves transparency,” said Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrat MP and Transportation Representative. “They don’t get it from the industry supporting this nefarious practice hush, hush, and the ministers must share guilt for this serious vacuum of accountability. BUT government review It’s time for ghost flights.”
Alex Sobel, Labor MP and Chairman of in net zero all-party parliamentary group said: “Although international travel has somewhat recovered, and no need fly empty planes to hubs or for maintenance does not seem to be given by the airlines up their climate-destroying practice of ghost flights.
Parliamentary appeal petition for the termination of such flights was signed by 14,000 people.
Branch for Transport said: “We acted quickly [during the pandemic] so that empty planes do not have to fly in order to keep their slots, however, some flights can be operated with few passengers for whole range of reasons, including wearing key workers or vital cargo.”
UK Airlines, trade body for The UK-registered airline said: [CAA] the figures reflect two things – the updated travel restrictions in combat Omicron variant, leading on flights from destinations like Morocco and the Far East attract British travelers home. Passenger aircraft have also were widely used as cargo aircraft during the pandemic, and although these flights carry essential cargo and supplies, including personal protective equipment, they would be inaccurately classified as “ghost flights”. in this analysis.
