Request for improvement for a large number of unmanned flights to secure slots at the airport

European Commission leaders say that there are many flights without passengers just to maintain the number of slots at the airport, even though the pandemic of the new coronavirus does not secure enough passengers. We made a request for improvement to the committee.

Brussels Airlines fait voler 3.000 avions à vide pour conserver ses créneaux de vols --Le Soir

Brussels Airlines va opérer des milliers de vols quasi vides pour conserver ses créne aux d'atterrissage et de décollage
https://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detail_3-000-vols-a-vide-par-brussels-airlines-juste-pour-conserver-les-creneaux-de-vols?id=10908898

Due to the limited number of aircraft that can take off and land at the airport each day, each airline has its own slot slot to determine the number of flights.

On the other hand, if an airline with many slots does not set a flight at all, it will greatly impair passenger convenience, so it is necessary to set a reasonable flight to maintain the number of slots.

According to the rules set by the European Commission, the standard for maintaining slots is 80% of the number of flights. However, due to the decrease in passenger numbers due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, the standard has been lowered to 50% of flights.

However, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility Georges Zirkine sent a letter to the Commission's Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valleon, calling for a review of the rules, saying the standards were still too high.

In fact, the Belgian airline Brussels Airlines has set up 3000 flights with almost no passengers just to secure slots. The Lufthansa Group, the parent company of Brussels Airlines, has more than 18,000 flights to secure slots. The number of scheduled flights canceled by the Lufthansa Group due to the pandemic is 33,000.

Deputy Prime Minister Zirkine said, 'From an economic and environmental point of view, (the rules for securing slots) are not understandable. Further lowering the threshold for slot use and increasing the flexibility of flight arrangements by airlines. Is required. '