Swiss feels threatened because of the Corona virus "ghost flights"

They are the gold dust of the aviation industry: the landing and take-off slots. Airlines compete for the best take-off and landing rights in order to offer their passengers the best possible connections. But the gold has suddenly become a problem: an EU rule states that the airlines have to perform 80% of their flights in one season in order to receive the same slot again. If this is not the case, they threaten to lose their slot to a competitor.

Many flights are currently being cancelled because of the Corona virus. Lufthansa has grounded its A380 fleet, and Swiss has cancelled up to 50% of its flights. New connections don’t even come into question, and the Lufthansa subsidiary has had to postpone its first flight to Washington D.C. United also recently announced that it has postponed a new connection from Chicago to Zurich by a month. The industry is facing billions in losses, and there is no end of the problem in sight. If Swiss cancels every second flight, this also means that it will not meet its slot obligations.

The rule has already led airlines to carry out ‘ghost flights’ within Europe, as the British newspaper The Times reported. They fly from one destination to another without passengers, just so that they won’t lose their slot, and burn tons of kerosene without any economic benefit. A Swiss spokesman says that no "ghost flights" have been carried out as yet. But: "The so-called 80/20 practice affects all airlines and therefore also the Swiss."

An EU rule says: Airlines have to carry out 80% of their flights, otherwise they will lose the corresponding landing and take-off rights.

Transport politician Thomas Hurter, who presides over the aerospace industry association Aerosuisse, cannot understand why this rule is being applied so rigorously: "It would be extremely questionable to force airlines to carry out empty flights under the current regulations," says the SVP National Councillor. "If Swiss has had to cancel up to 50 percent of its flights, it should be clear to everyone how serious the situation is." It's now a question of finding constructive solutions so that the industry doesn’t come to a complete standstill.

The industry has now responded, in fact. Slot Coordination Switzerland is responsible for the start and landing rights In Switzerland. The European Association of Slot Coordinators, of which Switzerland is a member, applied yesterday to the EU Commission to suspend the 80% rule until the end of June, as Peter Dellenbach from Slot Coordination Switzerland told CH Media. The Commission will make a decision in the next few days. Great Britain and Switzerland are also aligning themselves to the EU decision. "It will then be decided in May whether an extension of the suspension is needed." The Federal Office of Civil Aviation says that it supports the application to suspend the rule. A spokesman also points out that this was already the case during the Sars and the banking crises.

What if the EU does not temporarily override the rule? "The corona virus should not be a problem for the winter season in Switzerland, which ends at the end of March," says Dellenbach. “The airlines can also still comply with the rule for the winter season if they cancel flights in March. We can also exercise goodwill.” But it will be different in the coming summer season. "We don't know how long we’ll be affected by the Corona virus," says Dellenbach. The fact is that, unlike the airlines, the airports will not be pleased if the rule is suspended for too long. It’s important to the airports that as many flights as possible are carried out.

Switzerland going it alone makes little sense, according to Dellenbach: "It doesn't help if an airline can keep its slot in Zurich, but loses it at the destination airport in Europe." How the EU Commission decides is vital for the entire industry: "Many countries around the world are looking to Europe," says Dellenbach.