Industry statement on slot regulations

26 June 2023: ERA, together with other leading industry associations, has urged governments worldwide to ensure global alignment of slot rules to safeguard the consistent, fair, and transparent allocation of airport slots under the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG). The WASG have provided the aviation industry with decades of stability and consistency in the application of slot management globally.

Fragmentation of slot regulation risks disruption to airline schedules and imperils the advances in global connectivity, efficiency, competition and choice which have characterised the aviation industry in recent decades. With the number of slot-regulated airports worldwide growing steadily, it is vital that governments recognise the importance of the harmonisation of slot regulations in line with the WASG.

The WASG has undergone a significant revision in recent years, with improvements to the new entrant definition to increase competition and access opportunities at congested airports. Slot performance monitoring has also been better defined to ensure optimal use of allocated slots. It is therefore important that national or regional slot regulations are aligned dynamically with the WASG so that the aviation sector and travelers can immediately benefit from these and other enhancements to the system.

In our statement, we also invited governments thinking of incorporating the WASG or amending existing slot regulations to work with the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), a body comprising slot experts from airlines, airports, and slot co-ordinators, who oversee expert revisions to the WASG. Consulting with this group of experts can ensure that governments, their economies and citizens, will continue to reap the benefits of an increasingly more interconnected, sustainable and efficient air transport network.