Country: UK

The Department for Transport has laid a new Statutory Instrument (SI) in Parliament to provide alleviation for the Winter 2022 season.  The full text is available here.  This SI provides a utilisation rate of 70% with a pre-season hand-back option for up to 10% of slots held.  This new SI retains and widens the justified non-use provisions.  ACL will issue guidance shortly.

Please see the below note from Manchester Airport regarding a temporary movement limit for S22.

Following the DfT’s decision on 21st June to implement slot alleviation measures for the remainder of the Summer 2022 season, we (Manchester Airport) have been giving urgent consideration to the need for additional measures to control the reallocation of slots that are handed-back as part of this process.

The purpose of this email is to inform you that, effective from 25th June, Manchester Airport will be implementing temporary movement limits to prevent the reallocation of slots that are released back to ACL. The commencement of the temporary limits aligns with the start of the DfT’s 14-day slot hand-back window from 25th June to 8th July. The goal of this temporary limit is to support the use of the DfT slot handback process to depressure current airport operations, and to minimise any further changes to operational planning during this volatile period

For the rest of the season, or until this limit is reviewed, new slot requests will be tested against an all-day total movement limit of 475atms/day. This movement rate is equivalent to the number of daily movements currently operating a Manchester (w/c 20th June). For purposes of clarity, all slots already allocated above this limit will be honoured, and this movement limit does not apply to GA, freight or positioning movements.

To be clear, the temporary limits will still enable airlines to operate slots that have already been allocated for the summer season. However, it will not be possible for ACL to reallocate slots that are handed-back, or any new slots, above this temporary limit for as long as it remains in place.

We propose to review this temporary limit following the closure of the hand-back window on 8th July, taking account of airline’s responses to the DfT’s slot alleviation measures.

We will also continue to review the need for further measures, including a local rule to reduce overall capacity levels, over the coming weeks based on discussions with airlines and ground handlers through the Airport Partner Working Group (MAN-APWG).

I hope you will appreciate the need to introduce these measures at short notice given the announcement from the DfT earlier this week. Please contact Andy Clark (andy.clark@acl-uk.org) if you have any questions.

Today (21 June), the UK Government laid a Statutory Instrument (SI) granting additional alleviation from normal slots rules for the remainder of the Summer 2022 season.  This is in addition to the Covid alleviation granted on 22 March 2022 and aims to help carriers improve resilience in the system for the summer peak (in light of recent disruption at UK airports due to staff shortages).

Under the new SI, carriers have a window (from 25 June until 8 July 2022) in which they can hand back up to 30% of slots held at a particular airport for the remainder of the S22 season (i.e. the period from 9 July 2022 until 29 October).  Carriers will get alleviation for those slots handed back by the 8 July deadline if they have meet the criteria as set out in the SI. This measure only applies to slots with a date of 9 July onwards but the handback must also take place at least 14 days in advance of the date of the slots (so for example, on 25 June an airline would be able to return slots with a date of 9 July or later, whereas on 8 July it would only be able to return slots with a date of 22 July or later). ACL will issue further guidance in due course.

UK Government has today announced that it has designated Aeroflot, Rossiya and Ural airlines under the UK’s Russia Sanctions Regime.  This means that ACL cannot allocate slots to any of those carriers for the upcoming IATA Winter 2022 season nor can we grant alleviation for cancellations made by those carriers in the current Summer 2022 season as a result of the current flight bans.  This also prevents any transfer or exchange of any slots held by these carriers.  Slots over which Aeroflot, Rossiya and Ural currently hold historic rights for the Winter 2022 season at UK coordinated airports will be returned to the slot pool for re-allocation to other carriers.   ACL will issue further guidance shortly.