The trade association of the world’s airports, Airports Council International (ACI) World, has published a new white paper ‘Airport slot policy – Rethinking airport access in a capacity-constrained world’. ACI World argues that the current outdated regulatory framework needs to be addressed and modernised by regulators to keep pace with the aviation industry’s dynamic growth.
What is an airport slot?
Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), the world’s largest independent slot coordinator, define airport slots as ‘a permission to operate at a coordinated airport on a specific date and at a specific time as allocated by a coordinator/slot manager.’ Slot times are the on/off block times (rather than landing or take-off times) and operators must adhere to their airport slot time. ACL allocate slots at a number of UK airports including London Heathrow (LHR) and London Gatwick (LGW).
The new ACI World white paper highlights that:
- The current regulatory framework was designed more than 50 years ago (in the 1970s) and forces the aviation industry into inefficient compromises, creating barriers to socio-economic competitiveness and connectivity
- The number of the world’s most congested, slot-restricted airports has surged by 25% in the last decade whilst global passenger traffic is predicted to nearly double by the mid-2040s
- Fewer than 10% of the world’s airports handle nearly two-thirds of all passengers
- 85.5% of the world’s busiest airports with over 40 million passengers a year, are already operating at, or near full capacity
- At the 50 most congested airports, the four largest airlines account for 67% of flights
Recommendations
ACI World’s white paper also argues that the current airport slot system offers little visibility into how decisions about scarce capacity are made. A modern system with greater transparency would allow airports, airlines and policymakers to be able to see and evaluate capacity decisions to improve infrastructure efficiency. Whilst existing guidelines prioritise historical airline allocation patterns and rights, ACI World argue this system needs to be more adaptable.
Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World said:
“It is time to design a transparent, future-ready framework that unlocks operational efficiency, fosters healthy competition, and delivers the routes that the 21st-century global economy demands.”
As well as publishing the white paper, on its website, ACI World hosted a live webinar conversation with aviation stakeholders to discuss the future of airport access and its proposed framework evolution.
Do you agree the airport slot system is outdated and needs urgent review? Let us know in the comments below.
