Amid the 152nd Slot Conference in Dublin, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), together with 7 other international airlines’ associations, issued a call for world governments to ensure the global alignment of airport slot regulations and safeguard the consistent, fair and transparent allocation of slots under the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG).
The call has not been well received by airports however. International trade association for the world’s airports, Airports Council International (ACI) World, has responded, highlighting that while WASG is indeed important, slot regulations should be tailored according to local needs.
“While WASG provides useful guidance, we must not overlook the importance of local-level involvement. By engaging the airport community directly, we can ensure that the most effective slot rules are implemented that best serve travellers and communities”, said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General of ACI World.
Portraying the WASG as they currently stand as the unsung hero of the air transport system as IATA does is largely about protecting a status quo that benefits some but does little to ensure the integrity and competitiveness of our Single European aviation market.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe
The association stressed the critical need for regional-level and national-level engagement in implementing the Slot Guidelines and the need to tailor these guidelines to the unique operational intricacies of each airport. Furthermore, ACI World encourages governments to ensure that slot rules best meet the realities of each market and offer adaptable solutions as required to address specific challenges and opportunities, thus ensuring that airport capacity allocation decisions reflect the local market’s demands, while also considering consumer needs, airport connectivity, operational efficiency, and passenger experience.
“Aviation has undergone significant changes over the last four decades—the rise of the low-cost model and airline consolidation, more airport and airline privatizations, greater market liberalization, and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic—and slot rules would likely gain if they were also part of this movement of change. ACI World counts on the WASB to continue its endeavour to reform the guidelines to ensure their continued relevance”, added de Oliveira.
In Europe specifically the debated is even more heated. In May 2023, ACI Europe called the EU Airport Slot Regulation outdated and “based on principles set by incumbent airlines for incumbent airlines”, which allow for practices such as slot hoarding, overbidding, ‘double-dipping’, slot leasing, secondary trading and abuse of the New Entrant rule by multi-airline groups. Now, the association is reiterating its call for urgent reform of airport slot rules in Europe.
“Portraying the WASG as they currently stand as the unsung hero of the air transport system as IATA does is largely about protecting a status quo that benefits some but does little to ensure the integrity and competitiveness of our Single European aviation market. Key issues for reform are rules and practices that end up preventing consumer choice and connectivity”, stressed Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe.
