Almost 15,000 ‘ghost flights’ have left UK since pandemic began

According to newly revealed official figures, almost 15,000 ghost flights have left the UK.

The ghost flights, which are defined as those with no passengers or less than 10% of passenger capacity, operated from all 32 airports listed in the data. Between March 2020 and September 2021. The next two highest were Manchester and Gatwick. The data only covered international departure and not domestic flights, so there were an average of 760 ghost flights a month.

Ghost flights have angered those campaigning for action on the climate crisis because they are one of the most carbon-intensive activities people can undertake. In order to keep its landing slots at airports, the German airline warned it would have to fly 18,000 flights by March. If they are not used enough, airlines lose valuable slots.

The rules that required 80% of slots to be used were completely suspended during the Pandemic-hit period. Airlines did not have to operate flights to retain the slots.

Robert Courts, the aviation minister, said in response to a parliamentary question that flights may operate with a low number of passengers. The airlines have not been required to operate empty flights in order to retain their historic slots rights.

To tackle the climate emergency, we need to ensure that our aviation sector is as efficient as it can be with its carbon output, said Alex Sobel, who asked the question and is chair of the net zero all-party parliamentary group.

At a time of climate emergency, we need to drastically reduce our use of fossil fuel, not burning it in empty planes, said Anna Hughes at Flight Free UK.

When slot rules were partially restored in October, they required 50% usage, and this will increase to 70% by March. It should be easy to prevent planes from flying empty.

Information on ghost flights is hidden from public view, with airlines avoiding scrutiny by claiming the data is proprietary. The public and consumers should be informed. It shouldn't take a parliamentary question to expose the scale of this wasteful practice.

The number of flights may be small in comparison to the total, but the effects on our climate add up when you consider the average short-haul flight emits between 13 and 20 tonnes of CO 2

The DfT did not hold data on ghost flights, despite being asked by The Guardian. The Civil Aviation Authority refused a freedom of information request from the Guardian because it did not have the consent of the airlines to release it. The passenger numbers on flights can only come from the airlines themselves, according to the company that monitors and enforces slot rules.

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic told the Guardian that they did not operate ghost flights to retain slots.

The impact on customer demand was unprecedented, with wide-ranging global restrictions that limited international travel. Virgin Atlantic didn't operate passenger flights for three months in 2020. Lower-occupancy flights that operated outside of this window supported the global movement of people, including returning foreign citizens and returning UK citizens.

Both airlines said that the increase in the required slot usage would lead to low-occupancy flights. The decision would force airlines to operate flights with low load factors, which will generate unnecessary CO 2 emissions. This is bad for the environment and detrimental to aviation's efforts to tackle climate change.

Tim Johnson said that the slot system was outdated and unsustainable and that there were strong incentives for airlines to keep using them even when passenger demand is low. Slot reform and other efficiency improvements should be the government's focus.