Airport take-off slots to return to pre-pandemic levels
The UK government has today (31 January 2023) laid regulations before Parliament that brings airports slots rules for the upcoming summer season back in line with pre-pandemic levels, while retaining certain flexibilities to support the aviation industry’s recovery.
From 26 March 2023, airlines will once again need to use their slots 80% of the time in order to keep them – the ratio in place before passenger numbers dropped as a result of the pandemic. It’s a vote of confidence in the aviation industry as demand for international travel returns – with passenger numbers at UK airports reaching 85% of equivalent 2019 levels by October 2022.
The government remains focused on reducing disruption and ensuring a positive passenger experience for those taking a well-earned break this summer. As part of that, airlines will be able to hand back up to 5% of their slots before the start of the season, to help plan realistic schedules and avoid last-minute cancellations.
The Transport Secretary will announce the new measures during his keynote speech at the Airport Operators’ Association’s (AOA) annual conference today, where he is expected to say:
Airlines will also continue to benefit from increased flexibility over when they are justified not to use their slots, for example, where either end of a route is affected by COVID-19 restrictions. This will reduce the risk of environmentally damaging so-called “ghost flights” – empty planes flying just to make the slots usage ratio.
A bit like parking spaces for planes, slots are used to manage capacity at the busiest airports. A slot gives permission for an airline to use the full range of airport infrastructure (runway, terminal and gates, for instance) necessary to operate an air service at an airport on a specific date and time.
To retain their slots for the next equivalent season, airlines must use their slots a certain number of times – but during the pandemic the usage ratio was reduced to provide relief to airlines as they saw a drop in demand as result of COVID-19 restrictions. Without these alleviations, there would have been a rise in ‘ghost flights’.
The decision follows a period of consultation with the sector on how the government can best support its recovery while ensuring slots get used where demand allows.