Making better use of airport slots can drive aviation’s recovery

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ACI World has issued a resolution at is World Annual General Assembly declaring that airport slot allocation policies should support the recovery of air transport.

Airport connectivity, it notes, is essential for the recovery of air transport, and will be a key driver of the wider global economic recovery, which is why it is urging airport operators, airlines and slot co-ordinators to work together to increase their collaboration in “setting and maintaining a harmonised slot allocation process”.

Historically, more than 200 airports worldwide have declared insufficient capacity to meet airlines’ demand for flights, especially at peak times and airports may be subject to capacity reduction in the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic because of government regulations, physical infrastructure limitations, or commercial considerations.

ACI World has called upon aviation oversight authorities to recognise the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines when designing, implementing and evaluating slot allocation policies and promote an evidence-based and data-driven approach to determine slot policies that support the recovery of air traffic.

“Increased air connectivity will be an important driver of the global economic recovery and it is important that future slot allocation policies do not constrain the industry’s capacity to sustain recovery,” says ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

“While slot allocation policies ensure the most efficient use of available airport capacity and manage airlines’ requests for slots in an orderly manner, the prime objective is to optimise benefits to consumers.

“Governments and regulators should recognise the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines when creating slot allocation policies and we urge capacity-constrained airport operators to define the most efficient level of capacity and for airlines to use available capacity to avoid wasting scarce airport capacity.”

The First Edition of the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) was jointly published by ACI World, the International Air Transport Association, and the Worldwide Airport Slot Coordinators Group (WWACG) on June 1, 2020.

“We want to promote an evidence-based and data-driven approach to determine slot policies that support the recovery of air traffic,” notes de Oliveira.