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Almost 15,000 ‘ghost flights’ departed UK during pandemic
Nearly 15,000 so-called ‘ghost flights’ have taken off from UK airports since the start of the pandemic.
According to data covering March 2020 to September 2021, there were 4,910 ghost flights at Heathrow.
Manchester and Gatwick both had over 1,000 each.
A ghost flight is classified as flying empty or less than 10% of seat capacity.
There was an average of 760 ghost flights each month during the period.
Before Covid airlines were compelled to fly half-empty sometimes to retain airport slots under the ‘use it or lose it’ rule but this rule was suspended.
“Flights may operate with a low number of passengers for a range of reasons. Since the onset of the pandemic, the government has provided alleviation from the normal slot regulations. This means that airlines have not been required to operate empty or almost empty flights solely to retain their historic slots rights,” Aviation Minister Robert Courts said.
The data covered only international departures.
“To really tackle the climate emergency we need to ensure that our aviation sector is as efficient as it can be with its carbon output,” Labour MP Alex Sobel said after requesting the data from the government.
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