Pitane Image

The Belgian government is asking Europe for more flexible rules and finds it incomprehensible that, in order to avoid losing take-off and landing rights, airlines currently operate flights with hardly any passengers on board. According to Brussels Airlines, there are 3.000 flights that should be avoided from an ecological perspective, but that they should operate solely in order to preserve the slots necessary for their network. A time slot is an international term in aviation for the period within which an aircraft may take off or land at an airport.

A slot is a period of time at a specific time, usually 20 minutes, during which an aircraft can take off or land. These slots are reserved for the flight and linked to an aircraft registration, the aircraft may only move within this period. If the aircraft does not land or take off within this slot, there is a risk that the aircraft may no longer be allowed to move for a certain time. 

"As a result, airlines would rather fly empty than give up a time slot."

When a company loses a lock, it loses it forever. Such a 'time slot' is very valuable, according to transport economist Wouter Dewulf (UAntwerp) in crack. The Belgian government is asking Europe for more flexible rules regarding time slots, the Mediahuis newspapers report. As a result, airlines would rather fly empty than give up a time slot. Before the corona pandemic, the rule was that airlines must use at least 80 percent of their slots. If not, they would have lost their lock. Today, the proportion of slots to be used has been reduced to 50 percent.

useless

The Lufthansa Group, which includes Brussels Airlines, will cancel 33.000 scheduled flights until the end of March, due to a dip in the number of bookings due to the omikron wave. That number could have been much higher, but in order to secure take-off and landing rights, 18.000 flights will be carried out 'unnecessarily' this winter, of which 3.000 with Brussels Airlines. Federal Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) sent a letter to the European Commission. He calls the current arrangement "completely incomprehensible from both an economic and ecological point of view" and asks for the standards for the use of the slots to be further lowered.

Also read: Brussels Airlines: no confusion possible about logo

Print Friendly, PDF & Email