BMed polluting skies - with no passengers
Posted by DavidM in Pollution | 14 March 2007
I just saw a report from the BBC about the most ridiculously unenvironmental behaviour by airline British Mediterranean Airways (BMed).
BMed flies a number of routes, one of which was to Uzbekistan. In October that route was suspended due to civil unrest there.
However, Heathrow landing slots are highly prized (apparently changing hands for up to £10m) and operate a 'use it or lose it' policy.
So not wanting to lose the slot when they might need it in a few months, BMed have been flying empty planes from Heathrow to Cardiff and back, 6 days a week. At 10 tonnes of CO2 per round trip, that's roughly 200 tonnes of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere so far, completely unneccessarily.
The airline has sound business reasons to be doing this. Which supports the calls for some form of government disincentive, whether it is tax, emissions trading or another scheme.
It's bad enough that we damage the planet, but to do it for no good reason is ridiculous.
In the meantime, British Airways use BMed for flights to various locations so complain to them and get them to apply pressure for the flights to stop.
Comments
Poor blogging... check your math - 6 round trips per week at 10 tonnes per trip = roughly 200 tonnes? That's a pretty rough calculation!
And British Airways don't 'use' BMed... BMed are a BA franchise - and better informed reporters would have noted that BMed have just been bought out by BMI, and the franchise will end in October 07. BMI have announced the end of the empty aircraft practice by the start of the Summer schedule.
Nicely written, beautifully researched!
Oh you're too kind.
You're right though, I did get my maths wrong but not the way you thought.
As my post says, this has been going on since October, so it's not 6 days at 10 tonnes as you read it but 10 tonnes a trip for 6 trips a week for 5 months, roughly 1200 tonnes!
I did see that BMed has been bought by BMI but as you say, the BA contract runs until October. Fair enough, I could have made that clearer.
