Landing slot

A landing slot, takeoff slot, or airport slot is a permission granted by the owner of an airport designated as Level 3 (Coordinated Airport), which allows the grantee to schedule a landing or departure at that airport during a specific time period.[1] Slots may be administered by the operator of the airport or by a government aviation regulator such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.[2]

Landing slots are allocated in accordance with guidelines set down by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Worldwide Airport Slots Group. All airports worldwide are categorized as either Level 1 (Non-Coordinated Airport), Level 2 (Schedules Facilitated Airport), or Level 3 (Coordinated Airport). At Level 2 airports, the principles governing slot allocation are less stringent; airlines periodically submit proposed schedules to the administrating authority, rather than historic performance. Participation is not mandatory, but reduces congestion and non-participants are penalized if the airport must later be designated level 3.[2]

As of summer 2017, a total of 123 airports in the world are Level 2 airports, and 177 are Level 3 airports.[3]

Allocated landing slots may have a commercial value and can be traded between airlines. Continental Airlines paid US$209 million for four pairs of landing slots from GB Airways at London Heathrow Airport, $52.3m each.[4] The highest price paid for a pair of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow Airport was $75m, paid by Oman Air to Air France–KLM for a prized early morning arrival, reported in February 2016. A year before, American Airlines paid $60m to Scandinavian Airlines.[5]

Heathrow slot valuations[6]
YearBuyerSellerdaily slot pairstransaction (£M)slot value (£M)
1998BAAir UK415.63.9
2002BABA Connect5132.6
2002BASN Brussels727.53.9
2003BASWISS822.52.8
2003BAUnited2126
2004VirginFlybe4205
2004QantasFlybe22010
2006BABWIA155
2007BAMalev273.5
2007BABA7.3304.1
2007VirginAir Jamaica15.15.1
2007BMI77.77709.9
2007unknownAlitalia36722.3
2008ContinentalGB Airways/Alitalia/Air France4104.526.1
2013Deltaunknown230.815.4
2013EtihadJet346.215.4

As supply is limited, slot trading became the main solution to enter Heathrow and transfers grew from 42 in 2000 to 526 in 2012 and over 10 years the average priced slot was equivalent to £4 per passenger.[7]

If an airline does not use an allocation of slots (typically 80% usage over six months), it can lose the rights. Airlines may operate ghost or empty flights to preserve slot allocations.[8] To avoid pollution and financial losses caused by an excessive number of empty flights, these rules have occasionally been waived during periods of temporary but widespread travel disruption, including after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and during the SARS epidemic, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Level 3 coordinated airports[3]

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Cambodia

Canada

Cape Verde

Colombia

Cuba

China

Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Greenland

Hong Kong

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Pakistan

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Tunisia

Turkey

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Vietnam

References
  1. "Worldwide Slot Guidelines, 9th Edition English Version" (PDF). IATA. 1 January 2019. p. 14.
  2. Slot Administration - U.S. Level 2 Airports
  3. "List of all Level 2 and Level 3 airports". iata.org. 29 May 2018.
  4. "Continental pays Heathrow record". Financial Times. March 3, 2008.
  5. "Oman breaks Heathrow record with deal for slots". The Sunday Times. 14 February 2016.
  6. "Heathrow Airport's slot machine: hitting the jackpot again?". CAPA centre for aviation. 8 May 2013.
  7. "Heathrow Airport: An introduction to Secondary Slot Trading" (PDF). Airport Coordination Limited. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  8. Green anger at 'ghost flights'
  9. Paul Sillers (12 March 2020). "Ghost flights: Why our skies are full of empty planes".
  10. "Airport Reservation Office". Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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