Airline associations around the world are calling for governments to ensure the global alignment of airport slot regulations to safeguard the consistent, fair, and transparent allocation of slots under the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG).
In a joint statement, the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Airlines for America (A4A), Airlines International Representation in Europe (AIRE), Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA), European Express Association, European Regions Airline Association (ERAA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) set out the benefits of the WASG, which has ensured decades of stability and consistency in the application of slot management.
Disruption to airline schedules
The joint statement noted that under the WASG, consumers have benefitted from a consistent growth in reliable schedules and expansion to new markets, while airlines and airports have seen an increase in the utilisation of scarce airport capacity.
"Fragmentation of slot regulation risks disruption to airline schedules and imperils the advances in global connectivity, efficiency, competition and choice which have characterized the aviation industry in recent decades," it said.
"With the number of slot-regulated airports worldwide growing steadily, the joint declaration further note that it is vital that governments recognize the importance of the harmonization of slot regulations in line with the WASG," the joint declaration from airline associations added.
It also noted that the WASG had undergone a significant revision in recent years, with improvements to the new entrant definition to increase competition and access opportunities at congested airports.
Slot performance monitoring has also been better defined to ensure the optimal use of allocated slots.
"It is therefore important that national or regional slot regulations are aligned dynamically with the WASG so that the aviation sector and travellers can immediately benefit from these and other enhancements to the system," the airline associations further said.
The associations also urged governments thinking of incorporating the WASG or amending existing slot regulations to work with the Worldwide Airport Slot Board, a body comprising slot experts from airlines, airports, and slot coordinators, who oversee expert revisions to the WASG.
It said consulting with this group of experts can ensure that governments, their economies and citizens, will continue to reap the benefits of an increasingly more interconnected, sustainable and efficient air transport network.
"The air transport industry thrives on consistent global standards. The Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines are the unsung hero of the air transport system. Because of the WASG, travellers, businesses, and economies the world over has benefited from constant growth in air connectivity, strong competition, and route diversity while ensuring that utilization of scarce airport capacity also increased," said Willie Walsh, director-general of IATA.
"Governments should align their slot rules with this global standard to benefit from better air connectivity, efficiency, and consumer choice," he added.
The statement was issued at the 152nd Slot Conference in Dublin, Ireland.
The Slot Conference attracts over 1,000 delegates, with representatives of more than 200 slot-coordinated airports and 215 individual airlines.
This twice-yearly conference has been taking place since 1948 and is a significant moment in the aviation planning diary, allowing the opportunity to meet for quickfire optimization of planned schedules while looking at new opportunities for route and network growth.