Australia's Qantas Airways has come up with a novel solution to get customers back into the skies – a flight to nowhere.

The sightseeing trips are designed to allay passengers' fears over catching COVID-19 on arrival at a new destination. 

Qantas is offering flights across Australia that take off from and land at the same airport, allowing passengers to capture a glimpse of stunning natural sights such as the Great Barrier Reef from above. 

But do people really want to fly for the sake of it? Moreover, will such attempts be enough to save an ailing industry hit hard by the pandemic?

Andrew Charlton, an air travel expert and the managing director of Swiss-based consultancy Aviation Advocacy, talks to CGTN Europe about why a company would run such a scheme, what the environmental impact might be and how the aviation industry can resuscitate itself, adapting to the challenges of the 21st century.