Brussels: Europe’s airports today welcomed the Guidance released by the European Commission regarding the application of certain EU rules to passengers, tourism and transport operators in the context of the current oil crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East.

The Guidance provides much needed clarity and certainty as regards the extent to which the requirement for airlines to effectively use airport slots allocated to them for 80% of the time, set out by the EU Airport Slot Regulation, can be alleviated, by:

• Fully endorsing the Recommendation recently issued by the European Airport Coordinators Association (EUACA).
  
  

This Recommendation allows airlines to derogate from the 80% usage requirement on an individual case-by-case basis in the event of flight cancellations being the direct result of jet fuel shortages at airports – with such shortages qualifying as Justified Non‑Use of Slots (JNUS).

• Indicating that jet fuel cost inflation does not in principle qualify as JNUS 
  
  

Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE said “We fully support the need for airport slot usage alleviation in case of duly documented jet fuel shortages, as this is beyond airlines’ control and involves significant operational disruptions. We are also reassured that the Commission has confirmed the views of EUACA that fuel prices do not justify derogations from airport slot usage rules – as this would under the current circumstances impact the proper functioning of the internal market and potentially damage connectivity and shift the financial burden onto airports and the wider travel and tourism sector.”

 A wider slot usage waiver at this stage would have broad and severe implications for airports, as they have planned resources and operations for the Summer based on strong demand projections, which for now remain largely confirmed. The short-notice cancellations triggered by slot usage waivers would cause significant disruption for passengers, while also undermining efficient resource planning, depriving airports of expected revenues, and creating operational instability. They would also prevent the effective use of airport capacity, which cannot be reallocated at short notice – by protecting the slot holdings of specific incumbent airlines for their own benefit.

ACI EUROPE also welcomed the confirmation that:

• Contracts regarding routes operated under Public Service Obligations can be adjusted to reflect the impact of jet fuel prices and shortages.

• No regulatory obstacles exist to the use of Jet A fuel imported to Europe.
  
  

Jankovec concluded: “These are all helpful clarifications from the European Commission but there is no doubt that the real and most effective measure to safeguard air connectivity and its affordability would be for Member States to suspend their national aviation taxes. This is especially needed for small and regional airports whose connectivity is the most vulnerable to airfare increases and airline capacity reductions.”