IATA calls for suspension of rules on airport slots

MANILA, Philippines — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is requesting aviation regulators globally to suspend immediately the rules governing use of airport slots due to the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

The Philippines, according to  the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), has already complied. 

“We are calling for regulators worldwide to help the industry plan for today’s emergency and the future recovery of the network by suspending the slot use rules on a temporary basis,“ IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said in a statement.

“IATA research has shown that traffic has collapsed on key Asian routes and that this is rippling throughout the air transport network globally even between countries without major outbreaks of COVID-19. There are precedents for previous suspension of the slot use rules and we believe the circumstances again calls for a suspension to be granted,” De Juniac said.

IATA said current rules for slot allocation mean that airlines must operate at least 80 percent of their allocated slots under normal circumstances.

It said failure to do so would result in the airline losing its right to the slot the next equivalent season.

However, IATA said regulators can relax this requirement, especially as the COVID-19 crisis has had a severe impact on air traffic.

IATA said flexibility is needed for airlines to adjust their schedules according to extraordinary demand developments. 

“The world is facing a huge challenge to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while enabling the global economy to continue functioning. Airlines are on the front line of that challenge and it’s essential that the regulatory community work with us to ensure airlines are able to operate in the most sustainable manner, both economically and environmentally, to alleviate the worst impacts of the crisis,” De Juniac said.

CAB executive director Carmello Arcilla said the Philippines has already relaxed its slot requirements.

“Actually it is something that we have already undertaken. It has already been addressed so there is no problem for us,” Arcilla told The STAR.

Arcilla said the ongoing situation due to the COVID-19 is similar to a force majeure wherein an airline is unable to utilize its slots not because of its own failure, but because of the market situation.

“The general rule is airline cannot ‘warehouse’ because slots are scarce resources. If you are not using it, you should not hold it. Global standard is 80 percent usage because of course, the services have high and low, subject to surge and decline. But of course, the force majeure should not be reckoned with non-use,” he said.