1/7/2022- 7:45 a.m.
EU Airline Flies 18,000 GHOST FLIGHTS to Keep Landing Slots
Brussels Airlines has reportedly flown around 3,000 completely empty flights this winter just to hold onto their precious landing slots, with parent company Lufthansa Group running 18k overall.
Under the EU’s “use it or lose it” regulations, airlines must usually operate at least 80% of scheduled slots, with the rule suspended at the pandemic’s peak before being reintroduced at 50% last spring.
Lufthansa are apparently planning to cancel 33,000 scheduled flights by the end of March due to the sharp drop in bookings, and with the slot threshold being raised to 64% in April.
