Airport slots

The Department for Transport (DfT) has temporarily relaxed rules around airport slots to help airlines avoid last-minute cancellations due to staff shortages.

It said airlines will be given a short window, described as an "amnesty", to hand back take-off and landing slots they are not confident they will be able to operate for the rest of the summer season.  

The challenges facing airlines at the moment are manifest.  Airline CEOs for a period will not have the “use them or lose them” problem.  They will have to be very careful as a lack of slots will not be an acceptable excuse when apportioning blame for delays.

The DfT says these regulations, which are subject to parliamentary approval, will allow airlines to “plan ahead and deliver a realistic summer schedule”, and benefit passengers by providing them with notice to make other arrangements.  How long the window remains has yet to be seen.

"This will help passengers find alternative arrangements ahead of time, rather than face the kind of last-minute cancellations seen over the Easter and half-term holidays”, a spokesperson said.

It represents something of a U-turn for the government after it had demanded airlines put on full flight schedules, previously saying that airlines had to fly 70% of their flight slots at airports or lose them.

Airlines buy slots to operate their schedules but can lose them to rivals if they fail to maintain their obligations to the airport and passengers by failing to fly.

Also see in this week's BTN Heathrow Aeroflot slots

www.gov.uk/government/news/government-supports-aviation-sector-recovery-with-airport-slot-alleviation-for-summer-2022

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