ACL guidance on UK Alleviation related to the fuel situation has been updated to include the number of permitted slot returns for Northern Winter 2026 (NW26).

The UK Government amended the Slot Regulation to permit additional alleviation to manage potential fuel shortages at UK Level 3 Coordinated Airports.

For NW26, carriers are permitted to return 10% of slots subject to certain criteria. The first 5% are to be returned to the coordinator by 15 November 2026.

A further 5% is permitted to be returned before 14 March 2027.

For Northern Summer 2026, carriers can return up to 5% of slots if they are returned before 11 October 2026.

ACL Guidance related to this alleviation can be found here