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Why Heathrow Airport Had Ghost Flights to Nowhere

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When you hear the word “airport”, you most likely think of a hustling bustling place filled to the brim with anxious and excited people. It’s certainly the case for one of the busiest airports in the world. Yet, for quite a while, it had completely empty flights taking off and landing on one of its runways. Sounds totally illogical and counterproductive, but it’s true. Where and why did it happen?
TIMESTAMPS:
What airport are we talking about? 1:23
Why it’s the world’s busiest airport 1:31
What a slot pair is 2:18
How much it costs 2:50
In what case slots can be confiscated 3:41
Why the flights had to be absolutely empty 4:45
Music:
SUMMARY:
- We’re talking about Heathrow Airport in London, probably one of the most famous airports in the world. It only has 2 runways, yet it’s the world’s busiest airport of its kind, with planes taking off and landing every 45 seconds.
- To be able to take off and land there, an airline needs to buy a slot pair. A slot pair is basically a golden ticket, or permission to operate flights to and from a certain airport at a certain time.
- Oman Air had to pay $75 million for one of theirs. This was the price to land their planes at Heathrow at 6:30 AM and take off at 8:25 AM, which is probably the most popular timing for overnight flights from the US and Asia.
- Air traffic rules and regulations require airlines to use their slots 80% of the time; otherwise, they’ll be confiscated. When that happens, the slot transfers to the next airline on the waiting list.
- Operating passenger flights is more than just buying an aircraft and hiring the flight crew. Airlines also have to hire gate agents, make contracts with baggage handlers, and pay for other services to be able to actually fly people places.
- In 2004, Qantas Airlines purchased two slot pairs from FlyBe. The deal cost them $25 million, but they couldn’t arrange flights to their native Australia straight away. It’s pretty hard organizing those given the distance and the fact that they’d also have to go through Singapore. So, they had to find a solution to keep their slot pairs.
- It seems like ghost flights are now history, yet airlines still have to make adjustments to their schedules to keep their slots. For example, in the winter months, when fewer people tend to travel, they prefer cheaper and closer destinations.
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