The story is hardly believable.
While Airbus has just announced that it intended to market its hydrogen planes by 2035, it is a very different aerial “feat” to which certain airlines are engaged, particularly in Asia and Oceania.
In order to fight against the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic and the desertion of their planes, some do not hesitate to make their passengers fly ... with no other purpose than that of making round trips in the air.
And long-haul nostalgic customers seem to be plentiful, as some airlines have achieved historic sales records on these “
flights to nowhere
”.
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The Australian company Qantas indeed filled, in 10 minutes, a plane to leave Sydney airport on October 10 and return to the same place after a seven-hour flight over Australia.
The prices, from 500 to 2300 euros, have not slowed down passengers in need of height since March and the start of the pandemic.
The flight in question promises passengers to pass over top tourist spots in Australia, such as the Great Barrier Reef or Sydney Harbor.
In addition, a “
surprise celebrity
” is planned on board.
"
Hello Kitty
"
plane
"This is probably the fastest sale in Qantas history,"
said company boss Alan Joyce in comments reported by CNN
.
People really missed being able to fly.
If the demand is there, of course we will continue to do this kind of flight while waiting for the borders to reopen. ”
Other flights of the same type have been recorded in recent days, in particular departing - and arriving - from the Sultanate of Brunei.
On August 8, a plane clad in "
Hello Kitty
"
stickers
also made a round trip from Taipei Airport in Taiwan.
And the Japanese company All Nipon Airways (ANA) also ran one of its planes in August.
Not surprisingly, these initiatives have been widely mocked on social networks.
"I can not wait to explain to my children one day that we have used the opportunity [of the epidemic] to make climate change even worse
," the account @leaantigny says, for example.
"There
is still a little work towards the 'carbon neutrality' promised for 2050 at Qantas
", for his part @Just_Peraud lamented.
"
Climate change is killing the barrier reef,
" @Peters_Glen wrote.
Does the Qantas company have an ecological policy? ”
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Much similar operations had already been carried out in France, "
a few years ago and in another context,
" Air France reminds
Le Figaro
.
Indeed in 2009, a few aviation fans who had bought their seats at auction were the first to board the A380.
And "
four or five years ago, some were able to say goodbye to the Boeing 747 in the same way
."
But this year, "
this kind of flight is absolutely not planned
" by Air France.