Believing that the time has come “to establish a pathway to return to a normal application of the ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ rule”, the European Commission presented a new proposal on slot allocation at EU airports on Wednesday 16 December.
In March this year, the institution granted airlines in difficulty due to the pandemic the right to derogate from the ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ rule, which requires them to operate at least 80% of their slots at European airports (see EUROPE 12456/17). It subsequently extended this waiver until 27 March 2021 (see EUROPE 12559/6).
This time, the Commission considers that “the negative impact of further extending the waiver should also be taken into account”. “The effect of the current waiver is to freeze competition at 2019 levels”, the institution regrets.
However, in order to avoid a “sudden” return to normal, the Commission proposes that from the summer 2021 scheduling period onwards, the slot usage requirements should again be applied as normal, but with a lowering of the 80% threshold to 40%.
It is also introducing various conditions “aimed at ensuring airport capacity is used efficiently and without harming competition during the Covid-19 recovery period”.
It suggests, for example, that the 40% rate should apply only to so-called “historical” slots and not to newly acquired slots, those that would not simply have been inherited from the previous equivalent season.
These slots have apparently been requested by carriers who were aware that demand for transport was low at the time and that they would not have to comply with the 80% rule, the Commission justifies.
From the next summer season onwards, therefore, at least 80% of the newly acquired slots - if the proposal is approved as it stands - must be used in order to be retained. A condition which echoes the recent agreement reached by the sector (see EUROPE 12553/4).
The 80/20 rule should also continue to apply in the case of slot exchanges accompanied by financial or other compensation. The proposal further provides for a deadline for returning unwanted slots to the coordinator: this deadline is set at three weeks before the planned date for use of the slot.
The Airports Council International (ACI), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) consider that this proposal does not provide sufficient early planning opportunities for airports and airlines.
According to these organisations, the Commission is not taking sufficient account of the scale of the crisis facing the sector; moreover, the 40% threshold - “without the possibility to safely return airport slots in bulk” adds “unnecessary complexity”.
Fearing that this text could jeopardise the sector’s recovery, they are leaving it in the hands of the European Parliament and the EU Council. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)