Exclusive:How scores of polluting ‘ghost flights’ are still passing through Scottish airports every month

Spate of empty or near-empty flights condemned as ‘obscene’

More than 750 so-called ghost flights passed through Scotland’s airports in the first three quarters of 2024, reigniting calls for Scottish ministers to take stronger action in an effort to drive down aviation emissions.

Some 113 nearly empty international commercial passenger services to and from airports in Scotland were among the total. These included multiple long-haul transatlantic departures to the US, raising further questions over widely-criticised efforts by officials and airlines to drive down a practice condemned for its environmental impact.

One flight that departed the publicly-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport for the Canary Islands - a journey of around 2,000 miles - took to the air with no passengers or cargo on board at all. Across the 11 airports owned and operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), an executive non-departmental public body wholly owned by Scottish ministers, there were 291 nearly empty and eight completely empty flights between January and September 2024.

The total tally of ghost flights - defined as those services with fewer than 10 per cent of their seats filled, as well as those with no passengers at all - took in 96 international journeys through Scotland’s leading airports: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Prestwick.

More than 750 so-called ghost flights passed through Scotland’s airports in the first three quarters of 2024. Picture: Bruce Bennett/Getty | Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Those ghost flights recorded in the year’s first quarter included a departure from Edinburgh to an undisclosed airport in the US, a flight that left Glasgow bound for Egypt, and flights between Scottish airports and destinations such as Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Sweden.

The second quarter of the year saw further emissions-heavy transatlantic flights between Scotland and the US, and a dozen flights between Edinburgh and Greece and Turkey. Meanwhile, in Q3, the ghost flights included another journey between Edinburgh and the US.

The issue of empty or nearly empty flights gained wider prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, when airlines continued to operate flights so as to ensure they did not lose their slot allocations at major airports around the world. Aviation sources pointed to several factors underpinning the prevalence of ghost flights over Scottish airspace, such as training, repositioning and maintenance flights, and the impact of routes between Scotland and those airports with 'use-it-or-lose-it' slot restrictions like Heathrow.

While the demand for air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the newly published data by the UK Civil Aviation Authority shows the problem of ghost flights remains. Indeed, the statistics - known as load factor data, which determines the capacity being utilised on passenger flights - show a slight spike in the frequency of the ghost flights at Scottish airports compared to the same period the previous year. In the first quarters of 2023, there were 742 such flights. The respective figure for the first three quarters of 2024 was 752. However, there was a marked fall in the number of completely empty flights, down from 51 to just nine.

Mark Ruskell, environment and transport spokesman for the Scottish Greens, said: “These figures are obscene. We urgently need to reduce the number of flights taking off and landing every day. It is even worse and even more wasteful when so many of these flights are completely empty.

“If we are remotely serious about tackling the climate emergency, then we need a major focus on cutting unnecessary flights. That means the Scottish and UK governments working together to finally introduce an extra tax on private jets and frequent flyers and using the revenues to boost clean, green transport. There is also an urgent need to look at landing slots, so that we can remove the obligation for airlines to fly empty aircraft in the first place.”

One ghost flight with no passengers or cargo at all passed through Prestwick. Picture: Robert Perry/Getty Images | Robert Perry/Getty Images

One source said the prevalence of nearly empty flights on the HIAL airports was not necessarily surprising, given they are used by multiple key public service obligation (PSO) routes, with airlines utilising small aircraft. “The economics of flying in and out of somewhere like Barra are entirely different to using a major airport such as Edinburgh or Glasgow,” the source explained.

Although airlines decide whether to operate such journeys, the details of the latest ghost flight traffic comes on the back of extensive criticism of the Scottish Government’s efforts to deal with the environmental pollution caused by the aviation sector. In its latest report to Holyrood, the Climate Change Committee pointed out there had been no progress made in addressing aviation demand growth, with the long-trailed Air Departure Tax (ADT) yet to be implemented.

In what was described as an aviation ‘statement’, published in July 2024, the Scottish Government sought to balance growth with the nation’s net zero commitments, and promised to “help grow Scotland’s international connectivity” and secure lifeline services in the Highlands and Islands.

However, the strategy stopped short of offering any substantive progress around an ADT. Holyrood legislated for the tax in 2018, but the plans floundered over a disagreement with Westminster surrounding an exemption sought for flights from the Highlands and Islands.

While many aspects of aviation are devolved to Holyrood, civil aviation remains reserved. The UK government is consulting on reform of the airport slot allocation system. A document prepared by the Department for Transport states that auctioning available slots would mitigate the frequency of ghost flights.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The regulation of air services is reserved to the UK government. Many air services in Scotland serve remote and island destinations where air transport is essential in keeping communities connected. By their nature, some of these services, as with any mode of transport, can operate with very low passenger numbers, but the provision of the service can be vital for the individuals involved – especially those travelling for medical purposes.

“Good connectivity is key to achieving sustainable economic growth in Scotland. It enables flows of trade, investment, labour, knowledge and tourism visitors, which benefits Scotland’s economy as a whole. We are committed to working with Scotland's airports to help restore and grow our connectivity, while not returning to previous levels of emissions.”