Airlines will be forced to fly more this summer to retain UK landing rights
Airlines will be forced to fly more regularly this summer to retain their take-off and landing rights at UK airports, in a sign that ministers expect a rapid recovery in air travel in the coming months. The Department for Transport said carriers would have to hand back airport slots if they were not used 70% of the time from March 27, up from the current threshold of 50%. Airlines are allocated specific time slots at busy airports to help ensure that runways are used as efficiently as possible. These landing rights are some of airlines’ most lucrative assets, and can be traded for tens of millions of pounds. In normal times the “use it or lose it” threshold is set at 80 per cent, but the rules were waived at the start of the pandemic to stop carriers from flying empty planes just to maintain their landing rights, a phenomenon known as “ghost flights”. “As demand for flights returns, it’s right we gradually move back to the previous rules while making sure we continue to provide the sector with the support it needs,” said Robert Courts, aviation minister. The typically arcane and highly technical issue of airport slots was thrust into the spotlight earlier this month after German flag carrier Lufthansa said it would run 18,000 half-empty “ghost flights” this winter to comply with the EU’s slot rules. Brussels, like the UK, set a usage threshold of 50 per cent on slots this winter, and has said this will rise to 64 per cent in the summer. But Lufthansa said the sudden impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant and travel restrictions meant it would operate uneconomical flights to maintain its slot portfolio. The reports attracted criticism from European politicians and climate activist Greta Thunberg. The DfT insisted its new rules would help reduce ghost flights, while ensuring that slots were used where there is demand. The changes unveiled on Monday also included a waiver to allow airlines additional flexibility if destinations are hit by new travel restrictions.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2022-01-24/general/airlines-will-be-forced-to-fly-more-this-summer-to-retain-uk-landing-rights
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Airlines will be forced to fly more this summer to retain UK landing rights
Airlines will be forced to fly more regularly this summer to retain their take-off and landing rights at UK airports, in a sign that ministers expect a rapid recovery in air travel in the coming months. The Department for Transport said carriers would have to hand back airport slots if they were not used 70% of the time from March 27, up from the current threshold of 50%. Airlines are allocated specific time slots at busy airports to help ensure that runways are used as efficiently as possible. These landing rights are some of airlines’ most lucrative assets, and can be traded for tens of millions of pounds. In normal times the “use it or lose it” threshold is set at 80 per cent, but the rules were waived at the start of the pandemic to stop carriers from flying empty planes just to maintain their landing rights, a phenomenon known as “ghost flights”. “As demand for flights returns, it’s right we gradually move back to the previous rules while making sure we continue to provide the sector with the support it needs,” said Robert Courts, aviation minister. The typically arcane and highly technical issue of airport slots was thrust into the spotlight earlier this month after German flag carrier Lufthansa said it would run 18,000 half-empty “ghost flights” this winter to comply with the EU’s slot rules. Brussels, like the UK, set a usage threshold of 50 per cent on slots this winter, and has said this will rise to 64 per cent in the summer. But Lufthansa said the sudden impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant and travel restrictions meant it would operate uneconomical flights to maintain its slot portfolio. The reports attracted criticism from European politicians and climate activist Greta Thunberg. The DfT insisted its new rules would help reduce ghost flights, while ensuring that slots were used where there is demand. The changes unveiled on Monday also included a waiver to allow airlines additional flexibility if destinations are hit by new travel restrictions.<br/>
