EU extends airport slot relief until October 2022
The European Commission announced today airport slot relief rules will run until 29 October 2022 to help airlines get back on their feet following the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instead of the normal requirement that compels airlines to use at least 80 per cent of their slots, carriers will now be required to use only 64 per cent to retain their airport rights.
“I know the aviation sector is concerned about the new Omicron variant and the recent drop in airline bookings. We are monitoring the situation closely,” said transport commissioner Adina Valean.
“The commission has demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 crisis its willingness and ability to act swiftly where needed, and this will remain the case in the coming months.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the news, praising the Commission for its openness “to discuss technical aspects of the proposal.”
“Until demand growth stabilises, it is essential slot rules are restored gradually and continue to maintain provisions for reasonable exceptions when conditions change—such as a rapid clamp down on travel with the emergence of a new variant like Omicron,” the body said.
“Only with sustainable and predictable global travel rules can connectivity recover and remove the need for slot alleviation.”
Originally introduced to help airlines face the pandemic’s financial impact, the package of relief measures was extended in July to continue until March, causing discontent among stakeholders.
IATA lambasted the decision, saying the decision to put the threshold to 50 per cent was “out of touch with reality.”
“The result of these changes will be to restrict the ability of airlines to operate with the agility needed to respond to unpredictable and rapidly changing demand, leading to environmentally wasteful and unnecessary flights,” IATA said in July. “t will also further weaken the financial stability of the industry and hinder the recovery of the global air transport network,”
Passenger numbers across the block have reached 70 per cent of 2019 levels, while forecasts expect air traffic to go to 89 per cent of pre-pandemic level in 2022.