Opinion | Airlines running ‘flights to nowhere’ is environmental madness that ignores climate crisis. Ground them now
- With so many planes grounded by the pandemic, environmentally damaging circular flights from and to the same airport are proving popular
- Singapore Airlines’ moneymaking initiatives – including deliveries of business and first-class meals – are more climate friendly
The year 2020 is descending further into madness. Airlines are now contemplating – and in some instances already operating – “flights to nowhere”; jaunts that begin and end at the same airport.
Unbelievably, perhaps, for those who shudder at the thought of another round of airport security, tedious hours in a cramped seat in front of someone who can’t help kicking your back support every few minutes, food that tastes like the tray it is served on and queues for damp-seated toilets, these flights are proving popular – even while the coronavirus still lurks.
EVA Air led the way when it operated a Father’s Day special that flew in a big circle. The Taiwanese operator also sent up flights to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival and Saturday’s National Day. Japan’s ANA has run Hawaiian-themed flights to nowhere and Qantas Airways said a planned seven-hour trip from and to Sydney over Outback Australia and the Great Barrier Reef sold out in 10 minutes.
Now Hong Kong carrier HK Express is getting in on the act, with a 90-minute #UOFlycation experience, which will “encircle our beautiful city while showcasing the many preventive measures the airline has introduced to keep travellers safe and healthy”. What fun!
From an environmental perspective, flights that go nowhere are clearly insane. Various parts of the planet have been burning more fiercely than ever while other areas are under unprecedented floodwaters. Polar ice is melting in sheets the size of cities. The climate emergency is here and the last thing we need is for airlines – responsible for 3.5 per cent of anthropogenic climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – to start burning gallons of aviation fuel for no good reason.