Article from BTNews 13 NOVEMBER 2017
Monarch loses slots battle
Administrators for failed airline Monarch were dealt a blow last week after a legal ruling that the company cannot sell its take-off and landing slots. The administrators, who say they will appeal, had hoped to sell the slots to raise money to pay off creditors.
Lawyers had said the slots were the failed carrier's most valuable asset and several airlines, including easyJet, were interested in buying them. But the court said Monarch had “no right” to those at Birmingham, Gatwick, Luton, Leeds-Bradford or Manchester for summer 2018.
Judges also refused the administrators' request for a stay on their order in respect of Manchester and Birmingham airports, but granted one in relation to Gatwick and Luton until next Friday, 17 November, or further order.
In their ruling, the judges agreed with a decision by Airport Co-ordination Ltd, which allocates take-off and landing slots, not to allocate the airline any for next summer following its collapse.
Monarch had claimed ACL was under a duty to allocate the summer 2018 slots to it “by reason of historical precedence” and said they should be placed in the pool.
The judges have adjourned a decision on whether to grant the administrators leave to appeal until making a full judgment on the case at a later date.
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