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British business operator Magnus Aviation published a report according to which during the first three months the number of empty legs sold in the UK increased by 32%, while in 2015 this figure was only 17%. According to the company, in the first quarter of 2016, 40,900 “empty routes” were put up for sale in Europe, while in the UK – 5,600, which is 25% of all flights. Experts say that some of the offers save passengers up to 75% of the regular price.
During the first three months of 2016, five British airports at once entered the twenty “busiest business airports in Europe.” These are Luton (3rd), Farnborough (5th), Biggin Hill (13th), Oxford (16th) and Northholt (18th). The most requested empty legs destinations from the UK are Geneva, Paris and Chambery. At the same time, the largest number of such flights was recorded from Luton and Farnborough. As explained in the company, the increase in demand for empty flights is primarily due to the growth of overall business traffic. For example, flights between the UK and France have grown by 7% since the beginning of the year. Similar dynamics can be traced in other pairs of states.
Let us remind you that in the professional jargon of carriers, “empty legs” refers to potentially empty flights made to the home airport by a one-way chartered plane. Of course, charter companies do not want to carry the air, trying to sell seats on these flights, albeit at a large discount. The downside may be the proximity of strangers – some companies offer to redeem not the entire flight, but only the seats on it, like ordinary air carriers. It should be borne in mind that the price of the flight is negotiated in each specific case, taking into account the wishes of the client, both with regular freight and with an empty leg.
