Air carriers carry air. Part 4

In European Commission refuse to recognize existence of any problems because of the rule of saving the slots. “From our point of view, it is unnecessary fuss. We don’t have evidences from any of the airline companies, including Lufthansa, about some quantity of performed empty flights”, – European Commission informed.

They have marked that number of the flights this winter is on the level 73-78% from the levels of 2019 but at the end of 2022 it will increase up to 88% of this level.

“Empty flights are harmful from economical and ecological point of view that is why we took measures that allow airline companies not to make such flights. If airline companies decided to keep empty routes, it is decision of the company that is not result of the rules in force in EU”, – another declaration of European Commission says.

Airports Council International (ACI) supported position of the European Commission, marking that the share was reduced in order to help airline companies in pandemic conditions. As the Director General of ACI Europe Olivier Jankovec marks, there were no empty flights but saving air connection in the conditions of decreasing passenger flow, according to the opinion of Mr. Jankovec is important both from economic and social points of view.

Aviation expert and founder of the consulting company R. W. Mann & Company Rober Mann marked that saving the flights is important for the airports as well. “Airports prefer the slots to be used because it is the only way for them to receive money (by the landing weight of the airplane if not by the number of departing/arriving passengers)”, – he considers.

Besides, according to Mr. Mann this allow pilots saving qualification and regularity of the flights that wouldn’t take place in case of cancellation of the most flights. It means that they all would need to retrain.