No ‘ghost flights’ to Zurich airport, authorities say
With passenger numbers down due to Covid-19, some airlines want authorities to loosen rules maintaining that airport landing slots are lost unless fully used.
This content was published on
3 minutes
swissinfo.ch/RTS/Keystone-SDA/dos
“Use it or lose it”: regulations state that when an airline is allocated a landing slot, it must use it at least 80% of the time planned, or else risk being stripped of it the following year.
As the coronavirus outbreak disrupts travel plans globally and airlines cancel or pare back flights, this is reportedly leading to drastic measures and calls to loosen the rules.
Speaking on Swiss public radio RTSExternal link on Monday, the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Alexandre de Juniac, said that his group had asked regulators to waive the rules until October, given the current situation.
He was responding to reports – including from The TimesExternal link – that some planes had been flying with few or no passengers at all in order not to lose out on the valuable slots.
According to The Times, British Transport Minister Grant Shapps also wrote to the airport slot coordinator in the UK, asking it to relax the existing regulations due to concerns about the environmental impact of running empty flights.
So far, de Juniac said on Monday, the rules remain in place – apart from exceptions for Hong Kong and China – but he expects that “a favourable decision will be taken”.
He also said, regarding airlines operating empty planes, that “it’s possible this is happening, but it’s quite limited”.
Tricky situation
A spokesperson from Swiss International Airlines told swissinfo.ch on Tuesday that they have not been operating empty or near-empty flights in a bid to maintain landing slots.
However, the spokesman said, “we would welcome a targeted suspension of the present slot regulations that would release airlines from having to operate empty flights just to retain their landing and takeoff rights, which would make no sense at all in economic or ecological terms”.
Authorities at Zurich airport, meanwhile, also told swissinfo.ch that they had not heard of such “ghost flights” landing or taking off from their tarmac.
As for the rules around slots, although the airport “understands” the tricky situation airlines find themselves in due to the 80/20 usage rule, it also can’t change the situation – these rules are set by other regulators, including slot coordination SwitzerlandExternal link.
At the European level, meanwhile, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the EU indeed planned to introduce temporary legislation to solve the landing slot problem without causing undue environmental damage.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
What Trump’s return or a new Harris administration would mean for Switzerland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland
This content was published on
Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.
Swiss court rejects special assistance for student with disabilities
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Court has rejected an application for special assistance from a student with disabilities at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
Police arrest 15 drug dealers in Verbier in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Swiss and French police have arrested 15 suspected drug dealers operating in the mountain resort of Verbier in southern Switzerland.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Zurich Airport looks to Asia to expand its airports business
This content was published on
The company recently won a bid to build and run an airport near India’s capital and has its sights set on other emerging markets in Asia.
From Zurich to the skies: the daily work of the world’s airports
This content was published on
Behind the scenes at Zurich Airport, baggage handlers are working on a tight schedule to ensure that passengers’ luggage gets safely delivered to them.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.