--- title: "As the Coronavirus Rages, Airlines Fly Near-Empty “Ghost Flights”" description: "A number of airlines are being forced to operate near empty \"ghost flights\" after the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for airfare to plummet globally." date: "2020-03-10" modified: "2020-03-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/coronavirus-rages-airlines-fly-empty-ghost-flights" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" - "flight" - "the digest" - "virus" --- # As the Coronavirus Rages, Airlines Fly Near-Empty “Ghost Flights” ![A number of airlines are being forced to operate near empty "ghost flights" after the coronavirus outbreak caused demand for airfare to plummet globally.]() *\Image: JC Gellidon via Unsplash\* ## Ghost Flights A number of airlines are being forced to operate near-empty "ghost flights" after the coronavirus outbreak caused sweeping cancellations and demand for airfare to plummet across the globe. "Passenger demand for air travel has dramatically fallen due to COVID-19 and in some instances we are being forced to fly almost empty planes or lose our valuable slots," CEO of Virgin Atlantic Shai Weiss [ told *CNBC*]() via email on Tuesday. ## Unprecedented The issue is that slots for takeoffs at major airports have to be given up if they're not used, the [*BBC* reports](), under a European "use-it-or-lose-it" law. As such, major European airports including London Heathrow and Munich are turning into ghost towns with [empty check-in counters](). "Given the almost unprecedented impact on global passenger demand, the UK slot coordinator and the European Commission need to now urgently relax the rules for the whole Summer," Weiss told *CNBC*. "Common sense must prevail." ## Burning Fuel The law is drawing criticism from climate activists, since the flights are literally just burning jet fuel. And the industry could lose more than [$113 billion]() revenue this year alone, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). "It is unclear how the virus will develop, but... this is a crisis," said IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac in [a statement](). **READ MORE:** [Coronavirus: Virgin Atlantic admits flying near-empty planes]() \[*BBC*\] **More on the virus:** *[New York Is Using Prison Labor to Make Emergency Hand Sanitizer]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()