Target: Ursula van der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Goal: Praise suspension of a rule that forced airlines to keep empty planes in the air.
The European Commission has pledged to suspend the 80/20 rule, which had forced airlines to continue flying empty planes in order to keep their landing slots at European airports. The decision, announced by President of the European Commission Ursula van der Leyen, comes as welcome news to environmentalists and those who signed this petition.
Fears of the coronavirus have recently caused a significant drop in demand for flights. The 80/20 rule requires airlines to land planes at their allocated landing slots at least 80% of the time to retain the right to these slots for future flights. Normally a useful regulation which allows airports to allocate landing slots sensibly to reduce waste and cut emissions, it forced airlines to keep empty planes in the air to keep their slots.
Widespread protests from the public and air industry officials haven’t fallen on deaf ears. Sign below to congratulate President van der Leyen on her decision to work to suspend this rule.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President van der Leyen,
The 80/20 rule has caused airlines to continue flying empty planes to European airports to retain their landing slots, wasting fuel, energy, and causing damage to the environment through needless emissions.
The European Commission’s decision to work to suspend this rule for the duration of the coronavirus is commendable, and will relieve pressure on airlines during the coronavirus outbreak. Thank you for your work in resolving this situation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Mathieu Marquer
298 Signatures