Lufthansa had announced that it would have to make 18,000 empty flights to keep its slots at airports.
The association representing European airports responded on Thursday, explaining that airlines have no reason to fly empty planes in Europe to keep their slots.
The association said it was "dismayed" at the controversy.
Airlines can benefit from exemptions and "are very well protected against the current uncertainties", in particular the wave of the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 which has put a brake on reservations, said ACI Europe in a press release.
In normal times, European rules provide that companies must use at least 80% of the take-off and landing slots allocated to them at airports, otherwise they lose their rights the following season.
These rules have been rendered inapplicable by the health crisis which has caused the collapse of air traffic since March 2020, leading Brussels to suspend them.
Since March 28, 2021, companies have been required to use 50% of their take-off and landing slots in order to be able to keep them, but this level is considered excessive by the airline sector, which is still recovering.
Battle on the battlements
Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr warned on December 23 that he would be forced to perform “18,000 unnecessary flights” during the winter “just to keep take-off and landing rights”.
"Despite our pressing demands for more flexibility, the EU has approved a 50% usage rule (...) clearly unrealistic," a spokesperson for the Transport Association told AFP on Wednesday. international airline (Iata), which represents the vast majority of companies.
Airport organizations have already had bitter and public discussions with Iata in recent months, in particular about the charges received by airports from companies for each take-off and landing, in a context of dried up finances for the entire sector.
An "end of the world scenario (...) unrelated to reality"
The organization said Thursday its "consternation about the escalation of political statements" and the sector on this theme of "empty flights" which for it suggests a "end of the world scenario (...) unrelated to the reality ”.
ACI Europe added to support the position of the European Commission and recalled that the companies could keep their slots by invoking by their national regulator the clause of "justified non-use of slots".
This "covers not only outright travel bans, but also movement restrictions, quarantine or isolation measures that affect viability or the ability to travel, or demand on certain routes", according to the report. 'organization.
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