The European Commission opened on Monday 31 August a consultation on an initiative on airport slots which should satisfy airlines (see EUROPE 12529/21).
Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, the latter had obtained in March the authorisation to derogate, until 24 October 2020, from the so-called ‘use it or lose it’ regulation, which obliges them to operate at least 80% of their slots at European airports (see EUROPE 12456/17).
As early as June, they called on the Commission to extend this exemption (see EUROPE 12515/5) and should soon be successful.
Noting that air traffic “is still expected to be down by 15-25% in February 2021” compared to February 2020, the Commission is considering extending the suspension of the Regulation until 2 April, as evidenced by this initiative.
“With the reduction in air traffic due to the outbreak of Covid-19 and its expected persistence in the foreseeable future, the conditions laid down to extend the waiver appear to have been fulfilled”, the European institution argues.
In its roadmap, however, the Commission notes “certain shortcomings in relation to the application of the new rule”. It recognises, for example, that too many airlines (34% in mid-June) continue to cancel and surrender their slots too late, putting airports and service providers in difficulty.
The institution also assures that it wants to tackle certain practices that could affect competition. It cannot be ruled out that some companies may take advantage of the extension of the derogation during the 2020/2021 winter scheduling season to apply for more slots with a view to building up a larger “slot portfolio” than their historical rights allow. This comes at the risk of excluding the entry of competitors into their market.
Stakeholders have until 28 September to participate in the consultation. By 15 September, the Commission, for its part, will have to present its report on the development of air traffic since the beginning of the pandemic. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)