The European Airport Coordinators Association welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to the EU Council and EU Parliament to amend the Slot Regulation (ECC95/93) in order to grant a temporary waiver to the 80% usage of slots, the so-called use-it-or-lose-it rule, in the context of COVID-19 outbreak. EUACA coordinators acknowledge this initiative that meets the position expressed by its members and shall act on it.
This amendment which requires the European Council’s and the European Parliament’s approval, will need some weeks to be processed. As indicated in the previous EUACA communication on this topic and since the waiver period of the Commission’s proposal also covers the end of the current Winter 2019/2020 season, EUACA coordinators agree to anticipate the implementation of the Commission’s proposal. They will consider all flight cancelations as described in the proposal as operated for the determination of carriers’ historic precedence in order not to compromise the preparation of the Winter 2020/2021 season scheduling process for which the coordinators’ decision for the historic precedence determination is to be made at international level by April 20th, 2020 and to give the Airlines Industry some certainty for its current schedules adjustments in this unprecedented situation.
This anticipation is based on the assumption that the Commission’s proposal will be adopted in time. This is the reason why EUACA urges the EU Parliament and the EU Council to swiftly act on this Commission’s Slot Regulation amendment proposal.
