Since the abrupt shift in reduced airport traffic, much attention has been dedicated to slot waivers and alleviation measures. The Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), which is the body tasked with developing global slot rules, consistently issued recommendations on airport slot alleviation measures for the Northern Summer 2021 season and the Northern Winter 2021 season.
While COVID-19 recovery remains at the forefront of the airports’ agenda, it is of prime importance to also look further ahead. Normal slot usage requirements will be progressively reinstated as markets will be reopening. As such, airport slot processes and policies must remain relevant, fit for purpose and responsive to the various needs and circumstances of airports in the recovery period and beyond.
A common roadmap: The Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG)
From 2016 to 2019, airports, airlines, and slot coordinators worked jointly on a Strategic Review of the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG), which led to tangible incremental improvements on slot policies.
This collaborative process further resulted in the publication of the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) and the creation of the WASB in 2020. The WASG include a new overarching objective of optimizing the benefits to consumers, giving equal weight to the interests of airports and airlines.
This objective is particularly welcomed by the airport community. It also came with a commitment from the aviation industry to continuously enhance the global slot process.
The Airport Slot Policy Forums: Identifying opportunities to improve slot policies
The recent focus on slot alleviation measures in response to the global pandemic situation has not undermined the engagement to reform airport slot coordination.
Consequently, ACI World organized three Airport Slot Policy Forums in the second quarter of 2021. Over 160 representatives from 83 airports and organizations participated in the Forums organized for the Americas, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, and Europe and Africa. Such involvement testifies to the commitment of the airport industry to engage positively and constructively in the global slot policy discussion.
Participating airport representatives at the ACI Airport Slot Policy Forums engaged in focused discussions regarding:
Enhancing the position of airports in the slot management processAccess to markets in the interest of consumersOptimizing the use of airport infrastructureInvestigating the application of market mechanismsThe exchanges at the Forums led to identifying opportunities for improvement in the current global slot allocation regime and developing reform proposals. The ACI Airport Slot Policy Forums Proceedings contain both the proposals and their supporting rationales as discussed by the participants at the Forums.
The way forward: A collaborative process
The 30th World Annual General Assembly of ACI resolved to urge airport operators to work towards the continuous improvement of the WASG in its resolution entitled: Ensuring that airport slot allocation policies support the recovery of air transport.
Accordingly, the ACI Airport Slot Policy Forums were instrumental to enable airport operators worldwide to share their assessments and formulate truly global airport slot policies proposals, responsive to their specific needs and circumstances.
Looking ahead, the Forums’ Proceedings will provide a sound basis for a constructive engagement with the global airline and coordinator communities through the Worldwide Airport Slot Board.