European Commission plans to change the rules governing airport-slot allocations could mean the end of charter flights to many holiday destinations.
The charter carriers’ association IACA described proposals in an EC ‘Better Airports’ Package published on Thursday as “unsustainable”. It said they could mean “tourist regions in Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal will be deprived of some air services”.
The EC has proposed a series of measures affecting take-off and landing slots, ground handling and noise restrictions at airports.
The International Air Carrier Association (IACA) expressed “dismay” at a proposal to switch from making allocations in a block or ‘slot series’ of five (meaning a slot is available once a week for five weeks) to 15 in summer and 10 in winter.
IACA – whose members include Thomson Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Monarch and Air Berlin – points out this would mean operating every charter flight for 15 weeks rather than just in the summer peak period.
The association warned: ”These longer series will result in an absurd and impossible choice: either fly empty for several weeks or give up the flights.”
A “use it or lose it” rule already applies to slots, meaning carriers must surrender a slot at an airport if they don’t use it 80% of the time. The EC Airports Package proposes to increase this to 85%.
IACA suggests the EC has recognised the problem because it proposes allowing the ‘five slots in a series’ rule to continue at airports in tourist destinations. However, IACA points out this would be “pointless without the same slot protection at origin airports”.
The association’s director of aeropolitical affairs, Koen Vermeir, warned: “IACA airlines will no longer fly to tourist destinations that can only be served economically during the peak season.”
Airline association IATA described the proposed liberalisation of ground handling and legalisation of slot trading between carriers as “positive”. But IATA said: “There are still issues of concern.
“Proposed changes to the ‘use it or lose it’ rule will provide perverse incentives that would not be in the interest of the environment, capacity or efficiency.”
EC vice-president and transport commissioner Siim Kallas said the changes were necessary. He said: “Europe’s airports are facing a capacity crunch. We have to act now – 70% of delays are caused by problems on the ground.”
Kallas added: “Nineteen key European airports will be full to bursting by 2030. The resulting congestion could mean delays for half of all flights.”
Heathrow and Gatwick are among the leading European airports already operating at full capacity. However, the UK government has vetoed a third runway at Heathrow and ruled out construction of any new runways in the south east.