Coronavirus: Airlines are flying ‘ghost’ planes to keep flight slots

Use it or lose it:

‘Airlines are running empty “ghost” flights during the coronavirus outbreak because of European rules forcing operators to run their allocated flights or risk losing their slots.
Some airlines have wasted thousands of gallons of fuel flying the empty planes into and out of Europe.
Demand for flights has collapsed worldwide, with one airline-industry group saying the outbreak could wipe out up to $113 billion in sales.
UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote to flight regulators demanding that the “use it or lose it” rules be suspended to stop the ghost flights….’

Via Business Insider