Member states water down airport slot plan

Kallas ‘not happy’ at decision to keep existing thresholds.

Transport ministers from the European Union’s member states today watered down European Commission plans to end monopolies over airport slots by big airlines.

Siim Kallas, the European commissioner for transport, said he was “not happy” about the general approach agreed in today’s meeting. “The diverging views of member states have prevented having a really ambitious proposal,” he said. “I consider that we proposed a very modest proposal for the better use of airports which are congested.

“Member states introduced so many different amendments and elements that it is really difficult even today to assess this all in its entirety,” Kallas added. He added that the Commission may decide to withdraw the proposal.

Under the Commission’s proposal to update 1993 rules on airport slot allocation, a slot would be taken away from an airline if it is used less than 85% of the time. The current threshold is 80%.

But most member states wanted to keep the existing threshold, citing the need for flexibility.

Ministers did agree to the Commission’s concept of a secondary trading system on which airlines would be able to buy and sell slots. But they added the ability for member states to restrict the practice if they so wish. This type of system is already in place in the UK, but some countries – including Spain – ban the practice.

Negotiations will now begin with the European Parliament.

Ministers also authorised the signing and application of an agreement with Eurocontrol that will set up an enhanced co-operation framework. Eurocontrol will become the regulator of the Single European Sky Programme of unified multinational airspace blocs.

The delegations also gave their backing to a first-reading agreement reached with the Parliament on enhancing safety for commercial vehicles. The regulation on tachographs, which record time and distance driven aims at preventing fraud while reducing red tape.

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