With air traffic rising, airport landing and takeoff slots have become valuable and limited assets. The legal framework around how these slots are allocated, traded, and revoked is both controversial and highly regulated.
What Are Airport Slots?
A “slot” is a scheduled window for an airline to take off or land at a specific airport. At busy airports like Heathrow or JFK, slots are tightly controlled and legally assigned by aviation authorities.
Legal Basis of Slot Allocation
In many jurisdictions (especially in the EU), slots are allocated under a “use-it-or-lose-it” rule, which requires airlines to operate at least 80% of their scheduled flights to retain rights to those slots. COVID-era relaxations of this rule led to significant legal debates over slot retention.
Slot Trading and Antitrust Issues
Slots are sometimes traded or leased between airlines, raising concerns about monopoly behavior and unfair competitive advantages. Regulators carefully monitor slot transactions, especially during airline mergers or acquisitions.
Discrimination and Fair Access
New or low-cost carriers often claim they are excluded from major airports due to unfair slot allocation practices. Legal cases have been brought against airport authorities and government regulators for not ensuring equal access.
Conclusion
Slot allocation might seem like an operational detail, but it’s a high-stakes legal issue that determines market access, airline growth, and competition. Governments and regulators must constantly adapt policies to reflect fairness and efficiency in increasingly crowded skies.
