Whereas planes are emptying of passengers due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, IATA has just officially requested that the rules ofslot allocation be temporarily suspended. This news might go unnoticed by travellers if it did not lead to a probable drain on airlines. Because slots - the famous time slots Allocated each year to airlines on the most congested platforms - these slots are the real key to the construction of an airline's network. The allocation of slots in fact guarantees each airline the possibility of consolidate its presence at major airports. According to IATA, approximately 43% passengers start from more than 200 airports coordinated by time slots around the world. These platforms receive 1.5 billion passengers a year.
Currently, slot allocation rules mean that airlines must operate at least 80 % slots allocated to them under normal circumstances. Failure to comply with this rule will result in the airline losing its right to the slot for the next equivalent season.
This mode of operation exists in Europe since 1993. Half of the 200 airports under the slots system are in fact located on the continent. They include major hubs such as Paris CDG and Paris Orly, Copenhagen, Brussels, Geneva and Zurich, and all London and Milan airports, FrankfurtDüsseldorf and Munich or even Barcelona, Madrid and Vienna. In France, Nice and Lyon also fall into the category of slot airports while Nantes could join the club this year.
A situation that IATA wishes to suspend for the time being as air traffic collapses in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic. According to IATA, carriers are seeing a reduction of between 25 % and 30% in their overall business compared with last year, with some airlines even seeing a drop of 100% in their business to certain markets, such as Italy and Hong Kong. Many carriers are also reporting 50 % of no-shows in several markets.
The Association has therefore contacted aviation regulators around the world to request that the rules governing the use of airport slots be suspended immediately and for the 2020 season, due to the impact of the coronavirus. This should make it possible to reduce the number of flights and routes without the risk of losing precious slots for the next season, which should see a return to normal. If approved, this global decision would see the elimination and temporary closure of thousands of flights around the world. A real headache for travellers continuing to travel for business reasons. But this is the price of survival for the sector.
