Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary follows up in the discussion about the slot rules set by the EU Commission. He verbally attacked competitor Lufthansa in particular. He demands that the competition authorities "ignore the false claims made by Lufthansa about the operation of 'ghost flights'".

In the aviation industry there is currently a controversial discussion about the slot regulation of the EU Commission. This currently stipulates that at least 64 percent of the allocated take-off and land rights must actually be used. Otherwise there is a risk of re-allocation via the regulator. For example, Lufthansa has been publicly opposed to the provision for a few weeks, claims that around 18.000 empty flights would have to be carried out and wants to ensure that the slots for the current winter flight schedule period 2021/22 are retained regardless of usage.

Low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air see it completely differently. Both companies demand at regular intervals that unused take-off and landing rights should be returned to the regulator and then reassigned. However, Ryanair was able to get hold of coveted take-off and landing rights in Linate, which one then has not used. You have to withdraw from Frankfurt am Main communicated a few days ago.

“The solution to Lufthansa's“ ghost flights ”problem is very simple: just sell these seats to consumers. If Lufthansa really has to operate these flights (just to prevent these slots from being released to competing airlines) then it should be obliged to sell these seats to the public at low prices. The German and EU public have already given Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Brussels Airlines, Swiss and Austrian billions in state aid. Instead of operating empty flights just to block slots, Lufthansa should open seats on those flights for sale at low prices to reward the German and European taxpayers who subsidized them with billions during the Covid crisis. Lufthansa likes to cry crocodile tears over the environment when it does everything it can to protect its slots. With the slots, it blocks competition and restricts the choice at the major hub airports such as Frankfurt, Brussels-Zaventem, Vienna and others. If Lufthansa does not want to do “ghost flights” to protect its slots, then it should simply sell these seats at low prices and help ensure that short and long-haul air traffic to and from Europe recovers more quickly. Meanwhile, Ryanair is again calling on the European Commission to force Lufthansa and other government-subsidized airlines to unblock slots they don't want to use so that GHOSTBUSTERS like Ryanair and others can offer choice, competition and lower prices at these hub airports. The EU should ignore the insincere claims made by Lufthansa about “ghost flights” because the solution is simple: sell the seats on these flights and you no longer have to be afraid of “ghost flights”, ”said Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary .