News Category: Coordination

London City announces temporary suspension of flights.

26/03/20

London City Airport temporarily suspends commercial and private flights . London City Airport have provided ACL with the following statement;

Following the Government’s latest instructions in response to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have made the decision to temporarily suspend all commercial and private flights from the airport.

This will begin in the evening on Wednesday 25 March and is expected to last until the end of April. We will keep this under review.

At this point in this fast-moving and unprecedented situation, we think this is the responsible thing to do for the safety and wellbeing of our staff, passengers and everyone associated with the airport.

During this period, we will continue to follow official guidance and work with the authorities to understand the situation and how best to respond.

We will keep you up to date with relevant information and news, as and when we have it.

The full London City Airport statement can be found here

Important Coronavirus update- ACL’s full service continues

26/03/20

During the current Covid-19 outbreak, ACL is pleased to maintain its full service to customers, continuing to support the aviation industry through the current crisis. In March, we’ve handled more than double the usual number of schedule messages, as well as providing many bespoke reports for airports, support for airport planning and extra reports for data customers.

ACL’s staff will continue to be available during normal working hours for all our offices, whether in New Zealand, the UAE or the UK. We continue to follow official government advice in each country we operate by limiting contact and working from home.

 

 

ACL, NATS and the IRG: Preparing for a challenging summer

05/03/20

As UK and European Airspace become more congested and airports look to squeeze maximum opportunity from their runway, we look at how NATS and ACL are working together through the Industry Resilience Group to better plan for the summer.

Aircraft cannot simply fly in straight lines between two points. The skies above our heads are made up of a mix of controlled, uncontrolled and military airspace. Almost all commercial airliners fly through controlled airspace where Air Traffic Control monitor and control which direction, how fast and at what altitude each flight can fly to keep passengers safe.

The controlled airspace above the United Kingdom is a set of pre-designated corridors that aircraft must follow. It was originally designed in the 1960s and in the main has remain unchanged for 50 years. As the demand for air travel has drastically increased since the 1960s, certain parts of the airspace network above the UK have come under significant pressure and it is at these airspace “hotspots” that the flow of air traffic may have to be regulated by Air Traffic Control leading to delays in flights planning to fly through regulated sectors.

For the Summer 2018 season the Voluntary Industry Resilience Group (VIRG) embarked upon trying to understand from ACL how the Coordination cycle works and if any useful information could be extracted from ACL’s schedules to highlight potential air traffic hotspots in advance. ACL and NATS worked together to create some basic high-level illustrations to show the changes in demand for the main directional flows in and out of the UK airspace versus the previous Summer.

Planning for Summer 2019

ACL’s role in the Summer 2019 process was far more involved, providing detailed schedule data for 26 UK & Republic of Ireland (ROI) airports to be combined with NATS capability at key points in the run up to the start of the season. ACL’s experience provided industry context and understanding to the data, a result of their unique proposition and close relationships with airlines and airports.

Each ACL review was made up of thousands of data entries providing information on the number of flights operating between airports. This, in combination with NATS’ own data allows airspace ‘hot spots’ to be identified ahead of time. Further analysis by week, weekday and time provide extended dimensions to the analysis, allowing NATS and the industry to understand the impact of the new schedule for the upcoming season and plan for expected congestion.

Delivering meaningful output for the industry

The outputs provided for Summer 2019 were significant in allowing the industry to better prepare for a busy summer season. The data showed a 0.4% growth against the previous summer, amounting to an increase of over 6,000 movements. Growth was strongest in the Republic of Ireland (+3.6%), with movements at London airports also higher than the previous summer (+0.5%).

Significantly for NATS, there was strong South-East axis growth (+5.7%) which indicated further congestion expected in an already busy airspace. There was however a decline in traffic on the East axis; knowledge of these trends allowed NATS and the industry to prepare for the specific airspace challenges ahead.

ATC Routing traffic forecast for Summer 2019 as of February 20, 2019.

For Summer 2020, ACL developed its contribution further, providing additional analysis alongside the data and utilising Power BI to make process more efficient, easily understood and dynamic.

Initial Summer 2020 analysis taken at the end of November showed movement growth of 0.7%. Expected growth for 2020 was driven primarily by the rise in scheduled flights with a South-East routing which increased by over 23,000 movements. Growth on the South-East axis has been a historic issue, and so advance warning for the upcoming summer allows the industry to react to the demand.

The picture has changed significantly at the second data iteration. Data updates now show a movement decline of -1.1% against the previous summer, demonstrating how regular provision of schedule data is essential due to the volatility of schedule changes that can occur.

ATC Routing traffic forecast for Summer 2020 as of February 3, 2020.

Growth on the South-East axis has now decreased to only +2.5%, with more significant growth on the NE axis (+4.2%). In addition to observing overall movements and axis growth, ACL provide information at a regional and airport level. This analysis shows decline in movements in all major UK and Ireland regions, except for growth in Scotland (3.9%). An area of specific airspace interest is London airports, which currently show an overall decline in movements of -0.2% versus last summer.

Changes between data updates underline the significance of schedule movements between initial allocation and the start of the season. As such, the ability to provide iterative updates using dynamic Power BI reporting allows NATS to have better visibility of schedule changes and to observe how trends are developing ahead of the start of the season.

A developing collaboration

Analysis of forecasting accuracy for Summer 2019 indicated that the quality of predictions improved as ACL provided later data iterations, showing the importance of the continued information provided up to the start of the season.

NATS were able to utilise a far more accurate data picture as a result of the final data iteration. Looking forward to Summer 2020, it was agreed that due to the increasing accuracy of later iterations, NATS and ACL would focus on high-level trends at the first iteration, building into a more detailed picture following slot return deadlines prior to the season starting.

Several further data iterations and trend updates will be provided to NATS and the IRG up to and including the start of the summer season, with the intention of allowing the industry to continue to improve its resilience against schedule changes and airspace congestion by utilising ACL’s unique resources.

Looking ahead

As ACL and NATS continue to collaborate through the sponsorship of the IRG the level of detail and insight is increasing with each iteration. The ultimate aim is to have a level of dynamic updates which will give the industry time to plan ahead to minimise the impact of congestion, leading to better operational performance and an improved customer experience for all those using the airspace.

Click here to download a longer article of our findings

ACL Signs Contract to Support Oman Airports

24/02/20

Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) is delighted to announce that it has signed a contract with Oman Airports to provide schedule facilitation at Muscat International Airport and data collection at Duqm, Marmul, Qarn Alam, Salalah and Suhar airports.  ACL won the contract through a competitive tender and begins its work on 25 February 2020.

Edmond Rose, ACL’s Chief Executive Officer, met with Sheikh Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, Oman Airports’ CEO, in Muscat to sign the contract on the 24th February 2020. Edmond said, “ACL is proud to be taking over schedule facilitation and data collection at six airports operated by Oman Airports including Muscat and Salalah. We are pleased to bring our vast experience in managing airport capacity, our high-quality customer service and our sophisticated coordination systems to ensure that Oman’s airports can continue to flourish and serve aviation in the Sultanate.”

The contract with Oman Airports is the latest addition to ACL’s activity in the Gulf region.  ACL took over schedule facilitation for Abu Dhabi International Airport in September 2019, and also coordinates Dubai International Airport and facilitates the schedule at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

ACL now provides world-leading coordination, facilitation and data collection services at 46 airports across four continents from its offices in the UK, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.

Edmond Rose, ACL’s Chief Executive Officer, and Sheikh Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, Oman Airports CEO, signing the contract on the 24th February 2020.

 

Dispelling the Myths of Airport Slot Allocation

10/12/19

The prospect of an additional runway at London Heathrow has increased the interest in slot allocation within airlines, airports and Government. The Government Green Paper on Aviation included the slot allocation process as an area for consideration. The interest in additional slots at London Heathrow and how they will be allocated, has raised questions of the current slot process and how reform may be required to accommodate the release of significant capacity.

ACL considers these questions and the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of the current approach to slot allocation

Is the current slot regime fit for purpose for the allocation of significant capacity?

Whilst the current EU Slot Regulation[1] and IATA process as detailed in the IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG)[2] are not perfect they have provided a sound framework for capacity to be allocated in a transparent, fair and non-discriminatory way.

Taking the single element of allocating new capacity. New entrants have been able to enter new markets and existing carriers have had the opportunity to grow under the current regime at Level 3 airports. Commentary surrounding London Heathrow expansion often focusses on the inability for airlines to gain access and to grow to a level that offers effective competition. That may well be the case but is that as a result of the current regulatory and industry framework?

When comparing London Heathrow Airport to its main competitors in this area, the main difference is that other airports have released capacity and at levels that has allowed airlines to enter and grow. The current slot regime on slot allocation has supported this and has been generally embraced by airlines and airports. London Heathrow on the other hand, has an Air Transport Movement (ATM) Cap of 480,000 movements and high historic demand. This has denied carriers from growing and entering the London Heathrow market due to insufficient capacity in the pool rather than as a result of the Regulatory framework on slot allocation. Had capacity been available then the current allocation method would have facilitated growth and new carriers entering the market in the same way as seen at London Gatwick and London Stansted.

The lack of opportunity to grow or enter an airport is possibly more restrictive than the slot allocation regime itself. The Regulation has allowed carriers to enter new markets and grow where capacity is available.

 

Development of slot holdings by carrier, London Gatwick, Summer 2000-Summer 2019

 

Myth – 50% of the slot pool is reserved for new entrants and the remainder for incumbent airlines.

ACL is obliged to follow the EU Slot Regulation when allocating slots. 50% of the slot pool is reserved for new entrants if there is enough demand to utilise the available slots. The Regulation does not stipulate how the remainder of the pool should be allocated other than it should be allocated to applicant air carriers as is the case for new entrants. The Slot Regulation allows 100% of the slot pool to be allocated to new entrants if the Coordinator decides that is the appropriate allocation.

The WSG has recently been updated to be more specific on the share of the pool with 50% of slots being allocated to new entrants and 50% to non-new entrants. Where this is not possible due to insufficient capacity in the pool for example if there is an odd number of slot pairs in the pool, then a 50/50 balance should be achieved over a number of seasons.

ACL is required to give regard to industry standard (WSG) however the Regulation drives the ultimate decision.

Myth – New Entrants are limited to the New Entrant pool

The Regulation sets a threshold of the number of slots an air carrier can hold, above which it no longer benefits from new entrant priority. Any requests that exceed the new entrant allocation can still be allocated as they will be considered alongside requests from other incumbent carriers.

Carriers have the option to apply for new entrant status or not. The Coordinator must take account of that request as presented at the time of allocation based on what was submitted.

Myth – Slot allocations are based on the proportions already held by incumbent airlines.

There is no reference in the Slot Regulation or the WSG that requires the Coordinator to give regard to the percentage share of slots held at the time of allocation. The WSG sets out several secondary criteria[3] including effective period of operation, curfews, competition and requirement of the travelling public to help the Coordinator with its allocation decisions. There is no specific reference to the percentage of slots held.

A carrier holding 50% of the slots at an airport should not assume that they would be allocated 50% of any new capacity released or even 50% of the incumbent pool. Slots will be allocated by applying the primary and secondary criteria which may result in that carrier getting no new slots from the pool.

Slot allocations are not driven by the proportion that a carrier holds but by the substance of the request being made. Such allocations would be made in line with the Slot Regulation and WSG.  If a significant incumbent requests a limited number of slots or if other carriers submit requests which make more efficient use of an airport’s capacity to maximise benefits to airport users, the incumbent may be allocated proportionately fewer slots.  Conversely, if it submits requests for a larger proportion of slots which make efficient, beneficial use of the capacity, it may be allocated a greater proportion of slots.

Are Coordinators influenced in their decision making?

The Slot Regulation requires the Coordinator to act in a neutral, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. ACL is therefore required to act in that way so has measures in place to prevent undue influence affecting the decision. The greatest deterrent to making poor decisions is the transparency of the process. All stakeholders can see the outcome of every decision ACL makes. Carriers and Airports have every opportunity to question the decision made by ACL and request justification. This is supported by the ability of ACL to be reviewed by the Coordination Committee and ultimately via a Judicial Review.

In preparing for initial coordination, the airport and airlines can explain their business plan to ACL should they choose to do so. This can provide a holistic view of slots requests that can aid a more efficient initial coordination. This process should not undermine the independence of ACL and all decisions must meet the principles of the process.

by Richard Cann- Head of Coordination

 

[1] EU Slot Regulation 95/93 (amended)

[2] IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines 10th Edition – Effective 1 August 2019

[3] 8.4 WSG 10th Edition

Winter Schedules: A Frosty Outlook

09/12/19

As the industry approaches the start of a new decade, Airport Coordination Limited looks at the winter 2019/20 season and what is looking like a cautious season for airlines.

Whereas previous winter aviation seasons have seen year-on-year growth, this year’s current picture is one of stagnation for UK aviation, with fewer movements and fewer seats being operated than last winter. Three weeks into the current season (W19), ACL scheduling data allows us to analyse the outlook for UK aviation and highlights an end to the growth that had been seen in recent winter seasons.

Despite the positive growth seen at the initial slot allocation date, currently total airline movements for the 27 UK airports served by ACL are 1.2% lower than last winter. This means that operated and scheduled movements have fallen by over 10,000, with two-thirds of airports hosting fewer flights than last year.

We can view the change in the number of movements at Level 3 coordinated airports over time to observe trends against previous seasons. Level 3 airports currently make up 72% of all movements for W19 and give a good indication of the current season outlook.

There appeared to be some growth for W19 at both the initial allocation date back in June and at the series return deadline in July, however a sharp decrease in movements at the hand back deadline means that the current picture is one of a distinct reduction in movements. Movements fell by 6.6% between the slot return and hand back deadlines; in comparison this decrease was only 2.1% last winter.

Comparing the current trend against previous winter seasons, we can assume that it is likely that total movements will have fallen further by the end of the season due to cancellations and non-operations, despite movements having fallen less significantly since the hand back deadline than seen last winter.

Comparing movements by month shows that the most significant decreases are seen in November and January, driven by decreases in movements at almost all Level 3 airports.

This shows airlines appearing to be cautious in these months, likely due to uncertainty in consumer demand. There also appears to be a greater variation in month to month movements than seen in previous seasons; the growth seen in December and February movements significantly contrasts with the steep decreases seen in November and January. The increased variation in movements by month suggests airlines are targeting months with known higher demand instead of months where demand can be more volatile.

The decrease in movements for the season means that total seats are also currently slightly below figures for last winter. Despite this, average seats per passenger movement has slightly increased by 0.9% to 167 for W19. This indicates that airlines are continuing the trend of upgauging their aircraft across ACL-served UK airports.

The growth in movements by larger aircraft (Code E and F) contributes to the increase in average seats per movement. It is notable that despite the significant fall in movements by the most common narrowbody aircraft, there is still a growth in movements for the season by the more efficient largest aircraft.

The number of distinct airlines regularly operating slots and the number of different destination airports serviced have both fallen. Whatever the state of Brexit, the origin and destination regions of movements have shown no significant change, with 86% of flights serving European countries.

Overall, the reduction in the number of movements and seats demonstrates stagnation for UK aviation and the effect of uncertainty in consumer demand. The volatility of movements month on month and the cautious approach of airlines contributes to an unsteady outlook for the season. Airlines upgauging aircraft and increasing movements in December and February show that airlines are targeting efficient use of slots and increased activity in periods of typically higher demand.

This winter marks a change in trends for UK airports, but observation of ACL scheduling data throughout the season and looking forward into the summer will show whether this is simply a temporary phenomenon or reflects a change in outlook for UK aviation as a whole.

By Chris Butler- Airport Capacity Analyst

 

ACL Appoints Lesley Cowley as Chair of the Board

19/11/19

The Board of the world’s leading airport coordinator, Airport Coordination Limited, is pleased to announce that Lesley Cowley OBE is to become its new Chair succeeding Jeff Halliwell,  whose term of office comes to an end in March 2020.

Lesley brings to ACL her wide experience as a non-executive director including chairing the boards of the DVLA, The National Archives and Companies House.  In October 2019, she was named as Non-Executive Director of the year in the Institute of Directors (IoD) Awards.

ACL’s current Chair, Jeff Halliwell, commented:

“I’m delighted to be handing over the role of Chair at ACL to an excellent successor in Lesley Cowley.  Her strong track record working in bodies with important public roles gives Lesley the right background to take over chairing the Board of ACL as the company prepares for continued regulatory change and commercial growth.”

Lesley said:

“I’m excited to be joining ACL’s Board to help guide the company as it manages the pressures of coordination at a growing number of constrained airports while staying at the forefront of technical progress and customer service.”

Lesley’s appointment will take effect from 1 January 2020 as Chair-designate and she will become Chair when Jeff leaves the role at the end of March.

Edmond Rose, Chief Executive Officer, noted:

“As we look forward to welcoming Lesley Cowley to ACL’s Board, I’d like to record my sincere thanks to Jeff Halliwell for the role he’s played as Chair since 2013, guiding the Board through a period of major development for ACL and its governance.”

About Airport Coordination Ltd

ACL is the world’s first independent slot coordinator, based near London Heathrow Airport and with offices in Auckland, Dubai and Manchester.  It supports 41 airports worldwide with coordination, facilitation or data collection, including 25 London and regional airports in the UK; Dublin and Cork in the Republic of Ireland; five airports in New Zealand; Dubai International and Dubai World Central; Poland’s Poznan and Warsaw Airports, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and airports in Luxembourg and Vilnius.  ACL recently added Abu Dhabi International Airport and is starting data collection for Riga International Airport.

19 November 2019

S20 SAL’s distributed

01/11/19

All S20 SALs for ACL airports have now been distributed. Please contact the coordinator if you have not received the message for a particular airport.

S20 SHLs distributed

09/09/19

All S20 SHLs for ACL airports have now been distributed. Please contact the coordinator if you have not received the message for a particular airport.

Vilnius Airport signs with Airport Coordination

28/08/18

 

Vilnius Airport signs with Airport Coordination UK to manage its slots

Contract commences for flights from March 2019 as passenger numbers grow to 4.5 million p.a

Vilnius Airport, Lithuania, has contracted with Airport Coordination Ltd, UK for schedules facilitation following a competitive tender. The contract commences for flights from the end of March, 2019, coinciding with the IATA summer timetable.   Vilnius Airport instigated a move toward slot allocation as it swiftly moves to becoming an IATA Level 2 airport. It handled 3.8 million passengers last year, 3.3 million of them travelling on scheduled routes.

It has already seen a 17% traffic increase during the first half of 2018, compared with the corresponding period in 2017 and is on course to carry 4.7 million passengers by year end, equivalent to a 24% growth versus 2018.

Welcoming the new partnership with ACL, Dainius Ciuplys, Director of Vilnius Airport commented: “We are delighted to start collaborating with a strong and experienced partner, Airport Coordination Limited. They will help us with our primary aim, which is to manage flight peaks and maximise the infrastructure of the airport, enabling us to deliver the best service for our passengers. ACL will help us to negotiate with airlines on take-off and landing slots to achieve the best result.”

“Vilnius Airport is introducing slot allocation at a time when existing airlines add frequency. The Baltics is a strong region for air traffic, experiencing popularity for travel – for tourism and business. We are looking forward to working with this dynamic, forward-thinking airport in Lithuania,” stated ACL’s Managing Director Mike Robinson.

This summer Vilnius Airport is supporting 60 scheduled routes, the majority of them year-round, with passenger growth led by low cost carriers Ryanair, Wizz Air and legacy airlines LOT, airBaltic, Finnair and Turkish Airlines, among others. This winter it welcomes additional new scheduled services to Amman, Marrakech and Treviso. This May Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines introduced flights to Astana.

Vlinius Airport at World Routes in China

The move into schedules facilitation comes just ahead of Vilnius Airport’s return to World Routes 2018 during 15th to 18th September in Guangzhou, China, the premier networking event between airlines and airports around the world. Their participation will be headed by Aurimas Stikliunas, Head of Aviation Services at Lithuanian Airports.

Vilnius Airport, which can trace its beginnings back to 1932, is investing for future growth. Following a reconstruction of its runway last year (where for 35 days flights were diverted to sister Kaunas Airport), the airport is improving the main passenger terminal, originally built in 1954. From this autumn passengers will enjoy a more expansive commercial zone and passengers will experience faster and more convenient services, together with a wider range of goods and services. The airport currently features two terminals; 28 check-in desks, seven security lines; 11 boarding gates and six jet bridges.

About Airport Coordination Ltd

ACL is the world’s first independent slot coordinator, and is headquartered in Staines, Middlesex, near London Heathrow Airport. It supports 39 airports worldwide, including 24 London and regional airports in the UK; Dublin, Cork and Shannon in the Republic of Ireland; Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and Wellington in New Zealand; Dubai International and Dubai World Central; Poland’s Poznan and Warsaw Airports, Luxembourg Airport and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

Media contact
Alison Chambers, Emerald Media
Tel: +44(0) 1420 560094
Email Alison.chambers@emeraldmedia.co.uk