Article from BTNews 4 JULY 2022
Slots latest
British Airways and Heathrow Airport have welcomed measures to help airlines prevent last-minute flight cancellations over the summer.
Government regulations will allow a one-off “amnesty” on airport slots rules, enabling airlines to plan ahead and deliver a more realistic summer schedule with a view to minimising disruption at airports.
Airlines will be able to cancel flights without being penalised for not using their airport slots, but must finalise their summer schedule by this coming Friday. There could be a rush of further cancellations this week. See also BA service cuts in week’s BTN.
“We encourage airlines to take this opportunity to reconsider their summer schedules without penalty and inform passengers as early as possible of any changes”, said a Heathrow spokesperson.
It is understood that flights cancelled or removed from airline schedules after this Friday’s deadline will not fall under the slot amnesty.
In another move the Government has accelerated the national security vetting checks that all new aviation recruits must undergo, with Accreditation Checks being completed in around five days on average and Counter Terrorist Checks in under ten days.
www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-government-action-to-minimise-disruption-in-the-aviation sector
www.gov.uk/government/news/aviation-security-checks-accelerated
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