The Department for Transport (DfT) on Monday (4 December) launched its long-awaited consultation on the future of the UK’s airport slot regime, giving the sector – airports, airlines and other stakeholders – a say on the system for the first time since the 1990s.
Slots manage capacity at airports, giving airlines permission to use airport infrastructure – including runways and terminals – at a specific time on a specific date. Airports are limited to a certain number of operable slots a day, for which airlines can buy and sell.
Key aims for the DfT include clamping down on slot leasing to prevent larger airlines "monopolising" slots at certain airports and ensuring they can be allocated to competitors if they’re not being used frequently enough over a set period. This, said the DfT, will allow newer or smaller carriers offering cheaper fares "to receive more favourable slots" and make the process "more dynamic".
In addition, the department said the reforms would give stakeholders more powers to respond to crises, "making the industry more resilient and efficient in times of uncertainty".
The DfT said the reforms were "designed to balance the interests of both airlines and airports", while creating more competition between carriers to drive innovation and encourage lower prices. "Increasing opportunities for new airlines to obtain slots in the UK’s busiest airports will encourage greater competition and drive productivity between airlines," said the DfT.
"With this could come more affordable flights and seamless journeys as airlines strive to offer better deals and prices than their competitors – benefitting millions of passengers who travel through the UK’s airports," it continued.
"Airports will also see their slots being used more effectively as airlines will be required to use them instead of store or lease them – increasing the number of flights and making journeys smoother."
Aviation minister Anthony Browne said, "This consultation will bring the sector to the forefront of decision-making, helping to end monopolies within the slot regime, drive healthy competition between airlines and make the aviation sector more dynamic for the future while also benefitting millions of passengers."
Karen Dee, chief executive of the Airport Operators Association, added: "Slot reform is an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the UK aviation system and this consultation is a welcome step in that direction. We will be working constructively with government to ensure airports’ views are taken on board as these plans develop."
