A division has emerged between airline and airport groups over the future of airport slot rules after the International Air Transport Association called for governments to ensure the global alignment of regulations.
Speaking on behalf of airline associations from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that global alignment would “safeguard the consistent, fair and transparent allocation of slots under the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG).”
The organization added that the implementation of the WASG has brought significant benefits to consumers, such as reliable schedules and increased access to new markets. Simultaneously, airlines and airports have witnessed improved utilization of limited airport capacity.
However, IATA warned that the fragmentation of slot regulation “risks disruption to airline schedules and imperils the advances in global connectivity, efficiency, competition and choice.”
“The air transport industry thrives on consistent global standards,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh says. “Governments should align their slot rules with this global standard to benefit from better air connectivity, efficiency and consumer choice.”
Airports Council International World (ACI) acknowledged the significance of the WASG—which it jointly endorses with IATA and the Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group—but stressed that there should be regional and national involvement to tailor the slot guidelines to the “unique operational intricacies” of each airport.
“While the WASG provide useful guidance, we must not overlook the importance of local-level involvement,” says ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. “By engaging the airport community directly, we can ensure that the most effective slot rules are implemented that best serve travelers and communities.”
While saying it remains “firmly in support of the principle” of the WASG, European airport body ACI Europe went further by calling for “urgent” reforms of airport slot regulations in Europe.
ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec says: “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. These include the hoarding of airport slots, overbidding, slot leasing, secondary trading, abuse of new entrant status and ‘double dipping.’”
IATA initiated a strategic review of the old Worldwide Slot Guidelines in June 2016, with the airport community joining the project in 2017 alongside airlines, slot coordinators and schedule facilitators. The first edition of the new WASG was published in June 2020.
The guidelines provide a single set of standards for the management of airport slots at congested airports. However, although the policies are intended as best practices for worldwide application, some countries and regions have their own regulations.
Related Content
