European airlines, airports back slot waivers for winter

An ensemble of European aviation associations representing airports and airlines have proposed that the European Commission extend the waiver of “use it or lost it” slot rules for the Winter 2020/21 season but under certain conditions. Airport association ACI EUROPE, Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airlines International Representation in Europe (AIRE), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the European Association of Slot Coordinators (EUACA) said that the proposed conditions would ensure on one hand, that airlines are not forced to fly empty aircraft or penalised in the post-COVID phase, and on the other hand, that slots continue to be redistributed to new market entrants. The underlying condition proposed by the signatories of the appeal is that all slots held on August 31 should be retained by their current user through the end of the Winter 2020/21 season. “Only a full-season slots waiver will ensure that the flying of empty planes is avoided and enable flights to be operated in the most sustainable way possible,” IATA Vice-President (Europe) Rafael Schvartzmann said. However, the waiver would not apply to airlines which permanently cease services to an airport. Under the terms of the agreement, such airlines would be forced to return their slots for the current and the next season. Airlines should also return individual slots that they plan to permanently stop utilising, although the agreed proposal does not foresee any enforcement mechanisms.