Thank you for contacting me about ghost flights.
I note your concerns regarding ghost flights. As you may know, European regulation 96/93 requires airlines with allocated slots at level three airports to use those slots at least 80 per cent of the time in the preceding scheduling period to retain that slot in the upcoming equivalent period.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, I am told that the 80:20 rule of ‘use it or lose it’ helped to encourage efficient use of scarce airport capacity as well as making provision for a degree of flexibility for airlines and their operations.
In early 2020, I know the European Commission took the decision to waive the 80:20 rule. The UK rightly supported the European Commission’s position of alleviation, which protected airline finances and environment by reducing the number of ghost flights being run to retain the slots.
Now that the UK has left the EU, the 80:20 rule is a matter for the UK Government. To that end, in February 2021, the Government modified the retained EU legislation to provide the Secretary of State for Transport with the power to provide air carriers with an alleviation of the requirement follow the 80:20 rule until 2024, the date around which ministers expect passenger demand to return to 2019 levels. Provision has also been made, in the interests of flexibility, for the Government to use alternative ratios in the meantime, transitioning back to 80:20 as demand recovers.
These modifications will reduce the number of ghost flights while retaining the value of the 80:20 rule in encouraging efficient use of airport capacity. As we recover from the pandemic, I will continue to follow the matter closely in Parliament.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.