The airport located in Findel was able to escape the ghost flight issue, “as it has enough capacity and therefore airlines don’t have to ask for fixed slots to land or take off here,” explained mobility minister François Bausch (déi Gréng) in answer to

The EU commission in the past months had been heavily criticised by member states and airlines for refusing to relax slot regulations in consideration of the continuing health crisis. The regulation, which demands that an airline must use its assigned slots or lose them, had forced larger airlines such as , which the companies said, went against EU pollution targets. Luxair and Luxembourg mobility ministry had joined the airlines’ plea at the time.

Luxembourg’s airport was however mainly spared of such flights. In 2020, nearly 16% of all flights in the grand duchy had either counted less than 25% of its load factor or were empty. This was due to the pandemic and the unforeseeable travel restrictions it brought along. In 2021, 390 of the 24,897 flights--an increase from 2020’s 21,877 flights-- had been empty, while 1,433 had a load factor of less than 25%.

For reference, the minister noted, the rate of such flights was 6,39% in 1018, and 5,5% in 2019. Last year’s rate of 7,33% therefore suggests that the airport is returning to pre-crisis levels, though it also has to be mentioned that the number of trajectories has also been halved since the apparition of the covid-19 virus.

Bausch also underlined the fact that it was near impossible to avoid all empty flights, as some are programmed for technical maintenance of the planes, while in other cases, some passengers just don’t show up to the gate. Holiday flights, where the plane is full on the departure but empty upon return, were also cited.