ghost flight

plural ghost flights

1. aeronauticsAn empty or near-empty flight run by an airline to fulfill contractual obligations.

   The ghost flights, defined as those with no passengers or less than 10% of passenger capacity, operated from all 32 airports listed in the data.

   2022 February 22, Damian Carrington, “Almost 15,000 ‘ghost flights’ have left UK since pandemic began”, in The Guardian

   1 more example

   Airlines may be denying that they run ghost flights, but they're certainly able to operate them during travel bans: they don't have to cancel flights even if pandemic restrictions mean their passengers can no longer travel.

   2022 May, Sarah Barrell, “Ghost Flights: Are Empty Planes Haunting Our Skies?”, in National Geographic Traveler, →ISSN, page 143

2. aeronauticsA flight in which the aircraft continues to fly after incapacitation of the pilots or crew.