Covid-19 alleviates slot shortage at AMS, coordination issues remain

[caption id="attachment_89726" align="alignright" width="494"] Photo courtesy of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.[/caption] For the first time since 2016, aircraft movements at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ( AMS ) will not come close to reaching the Dutch government’s cap of 500,000 movements. Despite the unutilized slots and capacity at the airport, some peak season charter requests are in limbo and could be refused due to EU-level administrative delays, according to the local industry association, Air Cargo Netherlands. A slot waiver affecting slot distribution at all EU airports that was issued by the European Council on March 30 is set to expire on Oct. 24, according to a March release from the European Council. The waiver suspends the “use it or lose it” rule that requires airlines to utilize 80% of their take-off and landing slots in order to keep them. “At this moment, the danger is that there will be a kind of administrative shortage of slots at Schiphol Airport,” said Maarten van As, managing director of Air Cargo Netherlands. AMS is particularly sensitive to the timing and implementation of the EU slot waiver because of the Dutch government’s cap on take-offs and landings at the airport. Since slots have been fully allocated in recent years, slot coordination officials used a waiting list to distribute any unused take-off or landing slots. As a result of the local rule, AMS typically begins each six-month season with a look at the waiting list. While the capacity constraints have all but disappeared — flight movements aren’t expected to surpass 250,000, according to van As — the waiting list still exists, and doesn’t necessarily align with the charter operators looking for slots today. With peak season charter requests expected to be in high demand during the next two to three weeks, the association, along with airport and Airport Coordination Netherlands , are working to resolve the issue and push for a slot waiver. While the sudden collapse of passenger aviation demand and the need for a slot waiver may have caught regulators by surprise, van As expects a resolution will be possible ahead of summer scheduling. Separate from slot allocation, ACN is also lobbying to postpone or avoid a new national aviation tax that was proposed in May 2019 , after the Dutch government’s attempts for an EU-wide tax to further the region’s climate goals reached an impasse. The tax, originally set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2021, aims to promote sustainability in aviation by favoring fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft. Exact fees are subject to change but would be assessed on a sliding scale, on a per-tonne basis depending on the aircraft type. Initial proposals ranged from 1.93 euros to 3.85 euros per tonne, according to a government release. Passengers departing from Dutch airports would also be subject to a tax of 7 euros, subject to inflation. “The whole sector has to start taking the sustainability issue very seriously. We have to make big steps towards the future,” said van As. “But at this moment, we have to first survive this whole COVID-19 crisis.” “We hope they skip this tax measure and postpone it for the whole sector,” said van As. Negotiations resumed last month, and a decision is expected as early as next week.

Covid-19 alleviates slot shortage at AMS, coordination issues remain

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