IATA calls for “rebalancing” of slot rules and tougher capacity targets for airports

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for changes to slot regulation that will “incentivise” airports to keep pace with growing air travel demand.

In a white paper released on Wednesday, IATA warned that “the airport capacity crunch is threatening the freedom for people to travel and constraining economies” and called for stronger obligations on the part of airports to maximise capacity.

IATA’s SVP for operations, safety and security, Nick Careen, said: “Under the slot regulations, airlines are obliged to utilise the slots they are granted efficiently or face penalties for cancelling flights, or not operating to schedule.

“But airports face no penalties if they don’t deliver promised capacity. They have little pressure to meet global benchmarks on efficiency… This needs a major rebalancing so that airports and airlines are equally obliged to maximise the potential social and economic value of airport capacity.”

IATA also claimed that there is “insufficient transparency” behind the capacity declarations made by airports and recommended modifications to slot regulations that “will hold airports to account if they are not doing enough to create more capacity”.

These recommendations include a “regular” review of airport capacity declarations as well as a “meaningful” capacity consultation process, the introduction of performance obligations to generate more capacity from existing infrastructure and “consequences” if declared capacity is not delivered as promised.

“Stronger regulation is needed to close the enormous gap between the best and the mediocre airports in delivering capacity,” Careen added.

Airports association ACI Europe has rebuked IATA’s white paper, calling it “misguided” and “ludicrous”.

ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec conceded that the region’s current airport capacity will not meet future connectivity demands but insisted that “shifting blame” onto airports is not the “cure”.

“IATA’s assumption that many airports are not doing enough to squeeze more capacity out of their existing infrastructure is ludicrous. Airports are responsible and economically‑driven businesses — with both their business and social mandates resulting in a strong focus on maximising the use of their facilities,” he said in a statement.

Jankovec added that airports have “limited control” over how their capacity is used by airlines, which, the association claims, creates “significant” capacity wastage.

ACI Europe has also made repeated calls to “urgently” modernise the EU Airport Slot Regulation for the region to remain competitive and to “preserve and enhance connectivity”.

Jankovec added: “Airlines should rather focus their efforts on the numerous ways they can directly improve airport capacity use — such as returning unused slots to the pool more quickly and refraining from hoarding slots that could otherwise be utilised.

“The undue pressure on airports to make promises on capacity that cannot be fulfilled due to physical constraints is yet another attempt by IATA to deflect blame onto others and defend the status quo when it comes to airport slot regulation,” he said.