Startling data coming out of the UK shows that over 35,000 commercial airline flights have operated almost empty since 2019. The information came courtesy of a Guardian report citing data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

In that period, another 5,000 completely empty passenger planes entered and exited the UK.

The so-called ghost flights are common practice when airlines want to retain the right to use scheduled take-off and landing slots at commercial airports. EU regulations require airlines to operate in 80% of their slots.

The guideline was suspended during the heights of the Covid-19 pandemic, but then was reintroduced requiring a level of 50% of flights be operated. In December, the European Commission raised the threshold to 64% for this year’s flight season of April to November.

The numbers of ghost flights have ignited the rage of climate campaigners, who have called for a jet-fuel tax and voiced opposition to recent plans to expand airports.

Alethea Warrington, at the climate charity Possible said, “This shocking new data on ghost flights is yet another example of how the aviation industry cannot be trusted to get its emissions on track to tackle the climate crisis.”

Anna Hughes, at the Flight Free UK campaign group said, “Putting tens of thousands of empty or near-empty planes in the air during a climate crisis is a vast waste of money and a needless source of emissions. It makes a mockery of people’s efforts to reduce their own emissions.”

In response, the Department for Transport has announced plans to work with the CAA to both monitor airplane occupancy, and seek greater transparency on the issue of ghost flights.