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Lots of people in the business know why these flights are occurring - to say the reason is unknown is assuming the entire world is as ignorant of the reason, as this particular author.
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'''A ghost plane''' (a term sometimes used interchangeably with '''ghost flight''') may refer to:
'''A ghost plane''' (a term sometimes used interchangeably with '''ghost flight''') may refer to:
* [[Rendition aircraft]], an aircraft used by national governments to move prisoners internationally
* [[Rendition aircraft]], an aircraft used by national governments to move prisoners internationally
* An empty or near-empty flight carried out to preserve a [[landing slot]], or for logistical purposes — to get an aircraft where it needs to be, to support other scheduled flights
* [[Ghost flight (commercial aviation)]], an empty or near-empty flight carried out to preserve a [[landing slot]]
* Regarding [[air crash]], a "ghost plane" or "ghost flight" occurs when the plane, already in the air, suffers some type of accident that has incapacitated the crew and passengers due to [[Hypoxia (medical)|hypoxia]] (lack of oxygen), but the aircraft continues to fly thanks to the autopilot until it runs out of fuel and ends up crashing, after getting out of its flight path. These types of accidents are usually caused by [[Uncontrolled_decompression#Gradual_decompression|slow uncontrolled decompression]], which affects [[cabin pressurization]]. There have been no survivors in this kind of accident and it is very possible that even landing the plane intact, the damage due to lack of oxygen would be irreparable for those on board. Examples include:[[File:Helios522.png|thumb|250px|Recreation of two Greek fighters [[F-16]] inspecting [[Helios Airways Flight 522]] in the air.]]
* Regarding an [[aviation accident]], a "ghost plane" or "ghost flight" occurs when the plane, already in the air, suffers some type of accident that has incapacitated the crew and passengers but continues to fly until it runs out of fuel and crashes
** A Cessna 441 which crashed in 1980 carrying [[Bo Rein]]<!--<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/what-happens-on-a-ghost-flight-5-case-studies.html|title=What Happens on a Ghost Flight? 5 Case Studies|work=Daily Intelligencer|access-date=2017-12-24|language=en}}</ref>-->
** A [[Cessna 441]] which crashed in 1980 carrying [[Bo Rein]]<!--<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/what-happens-on-a-ghost-flight-5-case-studies.html|title=What Happens on a Ghost Flight? 5 Case Studies|work=Daily Intelligencer|access-date=2017-12-24|language=en}}</ref>-->
** [[1999 South Dakota Learjet crash]], of golfer Payne Stewart's Learjet
** [[1999 South Dakota Learjet crash]], of golfer Payne Stewart's Learjet
** [[2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air crash]], Queensland
** [[2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air crash]], Queensland
** [[Helios Airways Flight 522]], 2005
** [[Helios Airways Flight 522]], 2005
** A [[Cessna 421|Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III]] which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in 2012
** A [[Cessna 421|Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III]] which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in 2012
** [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 370]], a passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing that disappeared in the Indian Ocean on 8 March 2014.
** [[2022 Baltic Sea Cessna crash]], a [[Cessna 551]] which crashed into the [[Baltic Sea]] near [[Ventspils]] in 2022<!--<ref name=":0" />-->
** [[2022 Baltic Sea Cessna crash]], a Cessna 551 which crashed into the Baltic Sea near Ventspils in 2022
** [[2023 Virginia plane crash]], a Cessna Citation which crashed near Montebello, Virginia on June 4, 2023
* "Ghost Plane", an episode of Canadian TV series ''Mayday'' about Helios Airways Flight 522; see [[List of Mayday episodes|List of ''Mayday'' episodes]]
* "Ghost Plane", an episode of Canadian TV series ''Mayday'' about Helios Airways Flight 522; see [[List of Mayday episodes|List of ''Mayday'' episodes]]
* Ghost flyers, mysterious aircraft, which occurred in the 1930s in Sacandinavia [https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/7oedye/a_historical_mystery_the_ghost_fliers_of_the/?rdt=58120], [https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kummituslentokoneet]

{{disambiguation}}
{{disambiguation}}
What was once supposedly a rare occurrence, ghost flights have become more frequent within the last few years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=@NatGeoUK |date=2022-04-18 |title=The scandal of 'ghost flights': are empty planes haunting our skies? |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2022/04/the-scandal-of-ghost-flights-are-empty-planes-haunting-our-skies |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=National Geographic |language=en-gb}}</ref> Since the beginning of the pandemic, the term 'ghost flight' has begun to make an appearance within the aviation world. A ghost flight is a term used when airlines operate a regularly scheduled route with a plane containing less than 10% of the airline's total capacity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bailey |first=Jack |date=2022-06-11 |title=What Exactly Is A Ghost Flight? |url=https://simpleflying.com/what-exactly-is-a-ghost-flight/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Simple Flying |language=en-US}}</ref> Some say these flights are unnecessarily adding to the environmental crisis, by contributing to carbon emissions without a significant benefit.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-28 |title=Revealed: 5,000 empty ‘ghost flights’ in UK since 2019, data shows |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/28/revealed-5000-completely-empty-ghost-flights-in-uk-since-2019-data-shows |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

In the beginning of 2019, over 5,000 planes have flown to and from United Kingdom airports with no passengers. In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that over 35,000 flights had less than 10% of passenger capacity.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |title=Over 5000 empty 'ghost' flights have flown to and fro UK since 2019. All you need to know |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/uk/over-5000-empty-ghost-flights-have-flown-to-and-fro-uk-since-2019-all-you-need-to-know/articleshow/94517167.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2022-10-28}}</ref> The reason for these low capacity/empty flights is unknown [to this author]. Airlines are not required to publish data explaining pollution practices. The United Kingdom's biggest airport, Heathrow, accounted for 10,467 flights.<ref name=":3" />

As the COVID pandemic began to spread worldwide in March 2020, flights got cancelled and delayed due to the current restrictions and the unknown. During this time, airline travel was reduced by 45% in 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-06 |title=How much does air travel warm the planet? New study gives a figure |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/how-much-does-air-travel-warm-the-planet-new-study-gives-a-figure/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Mongabay Environmental News |language=en-US}}</ref> Because of this, airlines had to increase the number of empty flights in order to maintain their airport slots during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bodell |first=Luke |date=2022-04-11 |title=UK CAA Reveals Almost 15,000 Ghost Flights Operated During The Pandemic |url=https://simpleflying.com/uk-airports-ghost-flights-2020-2021/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Simple Flying |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Empty aircraft, Covid-19 (50147531306).jpg|thumb|Flight containing less than 10% of capacity during COVID-19 travel.]]

== Airport Slot Rule- ==
In order to maintain an effective airport and keep flights on time, airports have implicated slot rules to ensure flights are able to continue in a timely manner and limit scheduled air traffic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Federal Aviation Administration |title=Slot Administration |url=https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/service_units/systemops/perf_analysis/slot_administration |url-status=live |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=United States Department of Transportation}}</ref> These slot rules also help maximize competition and keep airfares low.<ref name=":1" /> Airlines are required to utilize the slots for flights or trade them. If a slot goes unused, the airline must give back to slot so other airlines are able to use it.

Before the COVID restrictions, airlines were required to use their allotted spots at least 80% of the time.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Thrower |first=Max |date=2022-02-22 |title=‘Ghost Flights’ and the Spectre of Climate Change |url=https://www.aef.org.uk/2022/02/22/ghost-flights-and-the-spectre-of-climate-change/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Aviation Environment Federation |language=en-US}}</ref> During the pandemic, the European Commission temporarily suspended Europe's airport slot rule for a short period.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Pickett |first=Riley |date=2022-10-13 |title=European Union Agrees On 75/25 Slot Rule For The Upcoming Winter Season |url=https://simpleflying.com/eu-75-25-slot-rule-winter-2022/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Simple Flying |language=en-US}}</ref> Due to travel restrictions, many flights were cancelled or had limited capacity, which made it difficult for airlines to fulfill all the requirements for possessing an airport slot. The suspension of the slot rule was reinstated in October 2021. After the slot rule was reinstated, the rule only required European airlines to use 75% of their flight slots for the winter season.<ref name=":2" /> In the summer of 2023, they plan on getting back on track to pre-pandemic regulations and will be required to fill 80% of airport slots. However, in January 2022 the Lufthansa Group, Europe's second largest airline, estimated that it would need to operate 18,000 ghost flights this winter to be able to keep all their current runway slots.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Pointless ‘ghost flights’ in EU cause climate damage equal to 1.4 million cars |url=https://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/issues/climate-energy/46030/pointless-ghost-flights-in-eu-cause-climate-damage-equal-to-1-4-million-cars |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Greenpeace European Unit |language=en}}</ref> Ghost flights are an example of wastage and unnecessary emissions that there is a need for a slot reform.<ref name=":4" />

As of July 2022, the European Commission adopted a proposal that would allow more flexibility of airline slots.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press corner |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/home/en |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=European Commission - European Commission |language=en}}</ref> Airlines would be allowed to use expectations in situations such as natural disasters, epidemiological emergencies, or widespread political unrest resulting in disruptive effect on air travel. The proposal went into effect on October 30, 2022. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Aviation: Commission welcomes political agreement on new EU slot relief rules |url=https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news/aviation-commission-welcomes-political-agreement-new-eu-slot-relief-rules-2022-10-13_en |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=transport.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

== Climate Issue- ==
Aviation is the world's fastest growing source of climate harming emissions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-02-22 |title=Until airlines tackle the scourge of ‘ghost flights’, Britain will never reach net zero {{!}} John Vidal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/22/airlines-ghost-flights-net-zero-uk-aviation-climate-crisis |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Air travel causes more carbon emission in an hour than any other consumer activity. These emissions contribute to an estimated 2.4% of annual CO2 amount globally.<ref name=":0" /> In addition to releasing up to 2.1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Are Empty ‘Ghost Flights’ Flying Over Europe Amid a Climate Crisis? |url=https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ghost-flights-empty-flying-europe-climate/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Global Citizen |language=en}}</ref> Research has found that aviation also contributes 4% to human-induced global warming. At this rate, warming is to increase 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1 degrees Celsius) by the year 2050 as aviation continues to grow post pandemic.<ref name=":0" /> Although the pandemic put a pause in the emissions, the CO2 emissions from past flights are still playing a role in global warming. The pandemic slowed the warming rates by about 5 years.<ref name=":0" /> Of frequent flyers, there is an elite minority that is contributing to most of the aviation emissions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-31 |title=Elite minority of frequent flyers 'cause most of aviation's climate damage' |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/31/elite-minority-frequent-flyers-aviation-climate-damage-flights-environmental |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

As of October 2021, the goal was to achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2050 within the aviation industry.<ref name=":1" /> Ghost flights alone are creating lots of environmental damage and account for yearly emissions equivalent to more than 1.4 million cars.<ref name=":5" /> If left unchecked, these emissions are a threat to the environment.  

==References==
{{reflist}}

Latest revision as of 23:49, 4 December 2024

A ghost plane (a term sometimes used interchangeably with ghost flight) may refer to:

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