South Korea, July 23: Airlines have been the worst-hit in the coronavirus pandemic, and they are resorting to extreme steps in order to survive this crisis. According to a Bloomberg report, Asiana Airlines is flying the world’s biggest commercial plane more than 20 times, going nowhere and carrying no passengers. This is being done just to keep trainee pilots certified.

In the month of May, an empty Airbus SE A380 flew over South Korea for a few hours a day for three days to enable pilots to practice taking off and landing. However, a trip to Thailand to use a simulator owned by Thai Airways International Pcl was blocked because of travel bans, according to an Asiana spokesman as quoted in the report. Coronavirus Scare: International Airlines Operating 'Ghost Flights' As Passengers Cancel Bookings Amid COVID-19 Fears.

Asiana Airlines reportedly had another 135 pilots who didn’t have enough flying time on its six A380s, but it couldn’t afford to keep flying the empty jet. So, the country's transport ministry extended the pilots’ flying credentials as a special exemption. Similarly, Japan’s All Nippon Airways, which operates two A380s, received a similar extension from Japan’s aviation authority.

It was reported in March as well, that several international airlines were operating 'ghost flights' as air travellers cancelled their plans amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Virgin Atlantic was also running near-empty flights in order to "retain take-off and landing slots at major airports such as Heathrow", according to BBC report.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2020 01:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).