Airlines will have to use from the summer 70% of their take-off and landing slots in the United Kingdom so as not to lose them. The current rule is 50%.
But the companies “will also benefit from increased flexibility when they justify not being able to use them”, specified the British government, saying that it wanted to avoid “ghost flights”, insured by companies only to preserve their rights. Airlines could, for example, not use their slots “if a country requires hotel quarantine or closes hotels and restaurants because of the Covid-19 »
In normal times, European rules provide that companies must use at least 80% of the take-off and landing slots allocated to them at airports, otherwise they lose their rights the following season. These rules were rendered inapplicable by the health crisis, which caused the collapse of air traffic since March 2020, and were suspended and then relaxed in the United Kingdom, as in the European Union.
64% in the European Union in April
But the level of 50% was already considered excessive by many players in an air sector still recovering, some companies warning of the obligation to carry out empty flights to keep their slots. The European Commission plans to raise this level to 64% from April 2022.
“While demand for international travel is back”, the British executive says it has chosen not to return to normal conditions of 80% to continue to support one of the sectors hardest hit by the restrictions linked to the coronavirus. pandemic.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr warned on December 23 that the German company would be forced to perform “18,000 unnecessary flights” during the winter “just to keep its take-off and landing rights”. “Crocodile tears”, tackled Ryanair in mid-January, suggesting that Lufthansa sell off its seats to reward the European taxpayers who supported it, rather than claiming to be required to fly empty planes. Air France-KLM supported Lufthansa by asking European regulators on Friday to be more flexible in controlling take-off and landing slots.