Today Airport Coordination Limited would like to recognise World Mental Health Day, recognising the need to make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.
For ACL we’ve taken great strides to move this topic up our agenda, with the support of our Employee Assistance Programme we’ve introduced dedicated workshops for all staff on how to spot and support people who are struggling with mental health related issues as well as support with stress management. We’ve over the last two years started to build feedback by questions through our employee survey which combined with the introduction of homeworking on a permanent basis means it is even more important that we don’t just say the right thing but follow through on this.
Jon Rowell, Head of People at ACL said “As the journey continues we will give even more priority to this topic, ensuring it gets the same level of focus as we give physical health, and as part of this will be introducing Mental Health First Aiders where over 20% of our entire workforce will be trained in how to support across many areas of mental health issues.”
Today provides a great opportunity for everyone to recognising the importance of mental health issues and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for everyone.
ACL today updated its guidance on the use of local rule 4 at London Heathrow to confirm the basis on which alleviation will be provided for cancellations made in order to comply with the capacity reductions mandated under NOTAMs issued during the Summer 2022 season.
ACL International (ACLi) has signed an agreement with MATARAT Holding to carry out slot coordination, slot facilitation and data collection services at 26 airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
As part of the transition from the current provider, ACLi will be publishing information on its website to support airport users. We look forward to providing more detail on this new agreement over the coming weeks. ACLi is excited to be working with MATARAT Holding, the airports, and their partners to bring our renowned coordination services and expertise into this new and important market.
About Airport Coordination Ltd ACL is the world’s first independent airport slot coordinator. We are headquartered in Staines, Middlesex, near London Heathrow Airport. The agreement with MATARAT Holding means ACL now provide world-leading coordination, facilitation, and data collection services at 72 airports across four continents from its offices in the UK, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia is the third Middle-Eastern country to be supported by ACL, enhancing ACL’s global position as the world’s leading and largest independent coordinator.
Airport Coordination Limited’s two new recruits, Elaine Harvey and Kiran Hameed, joined ACL’s coordination team on the 24th January 2022. After their first week, Elaine and Kiran sat down to interview each other about their time at ACL. Here they give us some insight on what it’s like starting at ACL, what they have learnt, and a bit about Elaine and Kiran too.
Welcome to two of ACL’s newest coordinators!
Two of ACL’s newest coordinators- Elaine Harvey (Left) Kiran Hameed (Right)
Kiran, how was your first day and were you nervous?
My first day was better than expected and I had a few nerves before coming into the office but as time progressed everything went as planned. I was greeted by Marion, the Personal Assistant to the CEO who I had been in contact with during my recruitment. She was so lovely to meet in person for the first time.
A member of the Information Services (IS) team showed me how to access the system and set me up as well as introducing me to Shahbaz Bhatti (my new line manager). Any nerves I felt at the beginning went away immediately.
Elaine, how did you feel about meeting with the CEO on your first day?
ACL’s CEO, Neil Garwood, reached out with a welcome message on LinkedIn the week before I started. This was a lovely gesture and helped me feel less nervous when I saw the meeting with him in my calendar on my first afternoon!
The introduction with him was informal and relaxed and everything was so positive, genuine, and inspiring. It left me feeling even more excited than I was before about working with ACL.
Kiran, how welcoming has everyone been so far?
Everyone has been extremely welcoming so far; I am impressed by how open and friendly everyone has been. I have never experienced such a warm welcome, so it has been refreshing, and I feel lucky to be part of a wonderful team.
Elaine, as ACL offer agile working, how did you find setting up the equipment and getting access to the systems remotely on day one?
The setting up of the equipment went smoothly. When I opened the box for the laptop I chuckled as I initially thought someone had sent me a foot massager for my birthday! It was straightforward to put together and apart from completely losing my internet for 24 hours the day before starting, logging on and accessing everything the first day was handled superbly by Marion and the IS team.
Kiran, what do you think about ACL’s vision and values?
So far, I have found consistency throughout the entire company. Having heard the CEO go through each of ACL’s values (Integrity, Together, Professional, Own It, Striving for Better) and how they were introduced makes me feel more confident in my ability as learning is encouraged as well as being proactive and owning our own decisions.
Elaine, how do you feel about the training plan in place?
I was wondering how I would start to learn all the complex parts of coordination and worried about how quickly I would have to pick things up. Seeing the training plan has quelled any fears as it’s all there, broken down into sizeable chunks, with suggested timescales and now I am confident that I can work through that and use it as a valuable tool as part of my ongoing development.
Kiran, what do you think your biggest challenge will be?
At this moment I feel my biggest challenge will be to keep up at a healthy pace learning new terminologies and system processes. Personally, I enjoy challenges and am exciting to learn something every day.
Elaine, what are you looking forward to the most?
I am looking forward to getting to know my colleagues better and meeting our customers with a view to helping exceed their expectations in coordination. I am also looking forward to the day when I feel like I have taken a load off my team, and they feel like I’ve added some value to them and the wider organisation.
Get to know Elaine and Kiran- Rapid Fire:
Tea or Coffee? E- Tea
K- Coffee
Favourite biscuit? E- Milk chocolate digestive
K- Fox sport
Morning person or midnight owl? E- Morning person (not by choice!)
K- Always been an early riser.
Favourite film? E- The Holiday
K – Flipped
What are you binge watching now? E- Afterlife
K- The Morning Show
Least favourite chore around the house? E- Can I only pick one? Cleaning the oven!
K- Putting laundry back, I do not know why it takes up more space after being washed ☹
A passion nobody knows I have… E- Walking the dog in the woods, I love nature, the more trees, streams and mud the better.
K- I love running. I’ve completed two half marathons so far!
Do you have any phobias? E- Spiders
K- Spiders and mould
Who is the most famous person you have met? E- I think ‘met’ is a stretch, but I once followed Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie around Legoland Windsor.
K- Cate Blanchett, who travelled with an airline I worked with many times.
What is your dream destination for a holiday? E- I want to see more of Italy, it is so beautiful.
K- Greece looks so picturesque with sandy beaches and clifftops.
By Elaine Harvey and Kiran Hameed – Airport Coordinators
Yes, 2022 is likely to be as equally unpredictable as the years before. Often, it feels, we take two steps forward, one step back and a considerable few steps sideways! While we remain in the middle of a global pandemic however, its undeniable the world is in a better place than it was 12 months ago. The demand for freedom and travel is strong. Aviation has weathered the storm and will bounce back, albeit with some changes.
There were many changes for Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) too in 2021, we welcomed in a new CEO; we transferred to a new office and flexible working; we commemorated our 30th year as an independent coordinator; and we welcomed on board even more customers too. Ever the optimists, we’re looking ahead then to 2022 with a new filled enthusiasm and confidence. Here are just some of things we can look forward to this year.
1- Change and innovation
We’ve never seen disruption like we’ve seen during the last two years. But disruption breeds change and innovation, and ACL aim to harness these instincts to support the industry’s recovery whilst protecting, enhancing and growing our company. Independent coordination has been more important than ever before, as ever-changing requirements have led us to respond quickly, inventively, and continuously. In 2022 we intend to maintain this sense of value we provide to our customers. Our success is based on the services we provide, so continually raising the bar is the challenge we always set and aspire to.
2- Confidence in Travel
As before, the year ahead will bring continuing uncertainty as countries respond in different ways to the pandemic, balancing the science and the politics. In our industry we’re likely to see continuing disruption but were hopeful over time there will be ever-greater clarity and consistency. It’s too early to tell what the all-important summer season will look like, but we have seen that when passengers are given the confidence to travel safely, they do so in similar numbers to before the pandemic. With the development of some international standards for testing and health passes, this confidence can return – confidence that passengers are not at undue risk, confidence that they’ll get home again and confidence that their holiday or business trip will work out as planned.
3- Investing in our People
We made some changes to our structure in 2021, providing more emphasis in certain areas and giving our people new opportunities as a result. ACL now has one central, Head of Coordination overseeing two new Deputy Head of Coordination positions, strengthening our experienced team. We’ve also introduced a Head of Commercial and People role to build our commercial relationships and enhance focus on our people. The structure we now have is designed to give the best service to our customers, the best environment for our teams, and the best opportunities to protect and grow our company. What’s more, we’ll be welcoming new recruits to ACL this year as we look to expand our team.
4- Uncovered Purpose
We did some soul-searching last year and in doing so uncovered a new Purpose and Vision for ACL.
Purpose – Achieving the best solutions in a fair and independent way.
Vision- To grow our position as the world’s leading coordinator.
We’ll be starting 2022 with a strong understanding of what we stand for, where we’re going, and exactly how we’ll get there. By investing in our partnerships, people and our commercial growth we’ll be able to ensure the continuation of ACL’s excellent coordination solutions throughout 2022 and beyond.
5- Supporting our Customers
We were delighted to welcome Owen Roberts International Airport as a customer last year and we’re equally excited about the new opportunities on offer in 2022. We’re committed to providing great service to every one of our customers every single day. This year, we hope to be right beside you too. As international travel opens, we intend to be where our customers are, visiting you on site and re-joining all our aviation colleagues at international conferences. Keep an eye out on our social pages for updates of where we’ll be.
6- Enriching our Data and Systems
The data we hold is invaluable and unique. We know we can make more of the information we have, and we will continue to invest in this area throughout 2022 and beyond. When we combine our data with our knowledge, expertise and foresight we have something very powerful. We want to make sure our customers reap the benefits by continually enhancing and developing our systems, making sure they’re the best in class. This will be a big focus this year, as SCORE and OCS benefit from substantial investment.
7- Partnerships and Guidance
One thing our customers value is our partnership working and regulatory work. The past two years have seen much happen here, with the scale of slot policy discussions and alleviation measures to support the industry during the pandemic. Our values of integrity and professionalism, of owning our decisions and working together, have seen us build a huge respect for the quality of our actions. As thoughts turn during the year ahead to post-pandemic slot reform ACL will play a leading role in influencing and designing the policies that will continue to work in the best interests of capacity optimisation.
8- Commitment to Wellbeing
We’ll be working this year to ensure that the health and wellbeing of our people is supported as proactively as possible. Last year ACL worked with Aviation Action to support the wellbeing of those in the aviation community. This year we’ll be looking for more ways to increase that cause both at home in our own business and across our industry.
Conclusion
As we enter the third year of this pandemic, we can see encouraging signs for the future. 2022 will present an important and exciting chapter in our industry’s journey. ACL has proven itself a key part of the aviation supply chain, building on our long track record and time in the business. We have a great and expanding team with over 230 years of combined experience; a common purpose to achieve the best solutions in a fair and independent way; and a justifiable reputation for excellence. We work with 46 airports and numerous data sales clients around the world and we hope many more of you will join us in 2022, bringing value and success to your business.
Airport Capacity Analyst, Christakis Christodoulou, looks at ACL’s initial coordination data for Summer 2022 and what this can tell us about the season ahead.
It goes without saying that Covid-19’s impact on the aviation sector has been significant. UK coordinated airports saw an average reduction of 70% in operated flights compared with pre-pandemic levels. Now, as Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) commence the coordination cycle for Summer 2022, we can start to get a view of airline demand in relation to initial submissions before coordination. Some might expect demand to be lower than pre-covid, as aircraft are removed from fleets, crew compliments reduced and consumer travel remaining uncertain. The story is not the case at all airports. Increased demand at this stage can be for many reasons including genuine incremental growth, positioning to exploit opportunities or uncertainty about recovery and future travel restrictions.
The graph below paints a picture of this divergence. Demand is reduced at Level 1 (data collection) and Level 2 (facilitated) airports, but increases significantly for larger, Level 3 (fully coordinated) airports. Demand activity decreased annually by an average of +7.9% (20,880 movements) at Level 2 airports, while simultaneously increasing by an average of +5.2% (55,099 movements) annually at Level 3 airports. This could be due to the less formal process at facilitated airports and the available capacity and/or lower competition for slots, making permissions easier to obtain as the coordination cycle progresses. Taking all ACL airports, Summer 22 demand has increased by +6.7% (94,088 slots) compared to Summer 2019.
The following graph compares this difference at a regional level, comparing Summer 22 and Summer 19 demand by UK regions.
The South East, which has the highest concentration of Level 3 airports, saw the highest growth. Whereas Northern Ireland saw the greatest reduction. Only time will tell if this is a true reflection on what will materialise. ACL would expect, as the coordination cycle progresses, demand will level up as schedules become finalised.
Initial data of the destinations intended to be served shows the UK and Europe accounting for 80% of Level 3 airport slot requests. Comparatively, Africa is the only continent to see a decrease in demand compared to Summer 19 season. While destinations in the Middle East saw the greatest growth in demand.
Further analysis identifies which routes are gaining popularity. The table below shows the top 20 destinations demanded during the Summer 22 initial coordination process across all UK Level 3 airports. Mallorca (PMI), Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and Malaga (AGP) are some of the many international routes experiencing an increase in demand. Amsterdam (AMS) is currently the most popular route across the Level 3 airports, facing an increase of 11% compared to pre-pandemic demand.
How accurate are these assessments?
Based on previous seasons, the data quality of initial demand data can vary and depend very much by airport. Demand for some airports tends to be genuine. Conversely, other airports are prone to receiving high demand which eventually falls away.
Demand can fall for various reasons. The coordinator may not be able to give the required time and so the slot becomes unfeasible for the operation. Or the airline may not get the slot at the other end of the route and so cannot complete the operation.
Market demand can also play a role in the eventual services operated. Airlines may seek to improve flexibility by requesting slots to build a pool to choose from as markets change. Similarly, requests may be made to test availability, with operational decisions made at a later stage. This is often common practice when airlines look to enter new markets and there are multiple options for airports in their chosen destinations.
All these examples are permitted under the slot process and with the uncertainty caused by Covid there are probably increased reasons for doing so.
Such high demand may also be misinterpreted. At a time when alleviation for Summer 2022 is still in discussions, many could conclude high demand negates a need for pandemic-related alleviation. Alternatively, it is equally uncertain whether demand at this stage is a product of ongoing uncertainty, justifying alleviation at a market-by-market level.
To answer the question, all data has its merits and a vast majority of demand data will be accurate. There will be a requirement to sensitise the data for planning purposes as history shows not everything planned will materialise and likewise services not currently planned will appear in the schedule. Those using data for planning purposes should be wary of drawing conclusions from a single snapshot. Nonetheless, ACL would urge carriers to return slots they do not intend to operate at the earliest opportunity so they can be reallocated as required by the WASG. Doing so gives airlines on the wait list greater opportunity to gain access or improve schedule optimisation and allows airports to better plan for the season ahead.
By Christakis Christodoulou, Airport Capacity Analyst
The UK’s statutory instrument, which amends the UK Slot Regulation to provide alleviation from the use-it-or-lose it rule for W21, is now in force.
Under this, which applies to UK airports, carriers can get full alleviation on series returned prior to 7 September 2021. They then have to operate 50% of all slots retained for W21. In addition, the UK has implemented justified non-use provisions.
The EU’s delegated act, which amends the EU Slot Regulation to provide alleviation from the use-it-or-lose it rule for W21, is now in force.
Under this amendment, which applies to EU airports, the ability to get full alleviation for slots returned prior to season start no longer applies. Instead, a usage ratio of 50% will apply to all slots, subject to the justified non-use provisions introduced in S21 (which continue to apply unamended).
