Airline associations call for alignment on slot regulations

Eight major airline associations around the world are calling for governments to align airport slot regulations under the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines in order to increase consistency and stability and to alleviate scheduling repercussions of the pandemic. The issue of slot availability and regulations has been in the news recently with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) announcing that it would cut nighttime slots and the Dutch government looking to reduce slots at the airport as well. IATA , Airports Council International and Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group developed the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) . IATA is joined in the push for alignment by the African Airlines Association , Airlines for America , Airlines International Representation in Europe , Arab Air Carriers Organization , Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines , European Express Association , European Regions Airline Association and Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association . “Fragmentation of slot regulation risks disruption to airline schedules and imperils the advances in global connectivity, efficiency, competition and choice which have characterized the aviation industry in recent decades,” IATA stated in a release. Coordination is key IATA hosted a LinkedIn Live webinar Thursday to discuss the major insights of the 152nd Slot Conference, held June 13-15 in Dublin. Europe had issues with slots going cold last year, and Chris Goater , head of corporate communications at IATA, asked webinar panelists about the role of coordinators in managing the issue. Airport Coordination Australia Chief Executive Petra Popovac said in the webinar, “What we do is we work with the regulator, usually at the airport as well, and the airlines to advise on temporary capacity reductions, how to deal with that. Also, how to deal with things like the Ukraine war and the airspace closure.” The WASG will ease communication between coordinators at different airlines, according to panelists. With the number of slot-regulated, or Level 3, airports growing steadily worldwide, airlines are looking at past seasons to learn from their mistakes. “I think one of the key learnings for the airlines was usually the justified non-use of slots looked at after the season has happened,” Laura Maughan , head of worldwide airport slots at IATA, said in the webinar. Guideline revisions While the slot guidelines have been in place since 1974, they have undergone major revisions in recent years. They have clarified the definition of slot performance monitoring and have improved “the new entrant definition to increase competition and access opportunities at congested airports,” according to IATA. Level 3 airports, which are typically larger, must coordinate slots on an international scale. “One of the biggest issues we have of most of the Level 3s is just making sure that all stakeholders are aware of what’s impacting our capacity,” Rob Whitehouse , vice president at Dubai Airports , said in the webinar. “The Slot Performance Committee is a key measure that we need to establish.” The airline associations also encouraged governments to work with the Worldwide Airport Slot Board , which comprises slot experts from airlines and airports, as well as slot coordinators, who oversee revisions to the WASG. “I think with a combination of a slot board, with the guidelines and the industry groups that we’ve got sitting together, we are in a great position to overcome all of those challenges,” Whitehouse said.

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