The plans for an amnesty for airlines to cancel flights without losing their slots have been put before parliament.
The current 80/20 rule means an airline must use a slot for 80% of the time or lose it, but the government hopes to give airlines a short window to hand back slots for the rest of the summer season if they are not confident they will be able to operate flights because of staffing issues.
In response to the proposal, Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at Abta, said: "The vast majority of flights have been going ahead as planned but some people have been affected by last-minute cancellations.
"Allowing additional flexibility around airport slots will help minimise these late cancellations meaning, if necessary, any changes can be made in advance and our travel agent and tour operator members can support customers to make alternative arrangements."
