The government has today (26 February 2021) introduced
legislation to extend the airports slot allocation waiver,
further supporting the aviation industry through the upcoming
summer months.
Acting on calls for relief from the aviation sector, the
legislation will support the industry through a period where air
travel is likely to be lower than other years – protecting future
connectivity and preventing airlines from operating high-cost
carbon-inefficient ‘ghost flights’ to retain historic rights to
slots.
Due to expire in spring, the legislation to extend the waiver
will come into force from 26 March 2021 – 2 days before the start
of the summer slot season. This will provide much needed
flexibility, ensuring that airlines do not have to operate
flights at least 80% of the time to retain their slots.
Transport Secretary said:
I want to restart international travel as soon as it is safe
and the slots waiver is a critical part of making that happen.
With airlines flying a smaller proportion of their usual
schedules, the waiver means carriers can reserve their
finances, reduce the need for environmentally damaging ‘ghost
flights’ and allow normal services to immediately restart when
the pandemic allows.
This is the latest initiative introduced by the government to
support the industry and follows last month’s launch of the
Airport and Ground
Operations Support Scheme, offering up to £8 million of
support for commercial airports and ground handlers.
It also comes as the Prime Minister this week announced that the
relaunched Global Travel
Taskforce will deliver a report on 12 April 2021 outlining a
framework to restart international travel, as wider restrictions
are lifted over the coming months.
Following this, the government will issue further guidance on
when international travel should resume.
