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LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Britain is set to extend the
waiver on airport slot rules for the summer season, a statement
from Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), an independent slot
co-ordination company, said on Friday.
Rules governing takeoff and landing rights at once-busy
airports have been suspended since early in the COVID-19
pandemic, freeing airlines from the obligation to use 80% of
their take-off and landing windows or else cede some to rivals,
so-called "use it or lose it" rules.
ACL said that alleviation would be granted in the UK for the
Northern Summer 2021, subject to slots being returned three
weeks or more in advance of the planned operation. It added that
newly allocated slots are excluded from the alleviation.
Britain's Department for Transport had no immediate comment
when asked about the extension of the waiver.
Britain's move to extend the waiver could see it diverge
from an EU proposal made in December to restore some slot
competition this year. It is the UK's first decision on airport
slot rules since it left the European Union's orbit on Dec. 31.
Low-cost airlines like Europe's biggest airline Ryanair
and Wizz Air are impatient to see a return to
normal rules, arguing that the suspension stops them from adding
new flights and creating competition.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Alistair Smout)
