Airlines use empty planes to avoid wasting space at airports

Many efforts have been made to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, when “higher values ​​go up”, the result can be questionable. For example, there are airlines operating completely empty flights.

Cause? Don’t miss out on airport seats.

Prior to the outbreak of the pandemic, the European Union (EU) required that Airlines operate 80% of their scheduled flights, at the risk of losing their seats at airports to other companies. Although this percentage has dropped to 50%, demand is still insufficient in 2021.

According to the Belgian magazine BulletinGerman airline Lufthansa performed 18,000 empty flights this winter alone. This is motivated by an EU rule that requires companies to operate at least half of their scheduled flights in order to maintain their seats at airports.

Lufthansa has already cut 33,000 flights due to worldwide travel cancellations promoted by the Omicron variant. Therefore, the airline, as well as government agencies, have asked the EU to review the measures and take into account their impact on the environment.

While favorable climate exceptions have been found in almost all other parts of the world during the pandemic, the EU does not allow it in the same way.

Disse Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa.

Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa

Belgium's Mobility Minister Georges Gilkine has also asked the EU to review the measure as Brussels airlinesowned by the Lufthansa group accounts for 3,000 out of 18,000 empty flights.

Despite the calls, Euronews notes that the European Transport Commission has already announced that it will not reduce the percentage of flights that must comply with the airline. This is because the current decline is more than enough for regulators.

It should be noted that both the EU and Lufthansa are committed to halving their carbon footprint over the next decade.

Read also: