Suspend airport slot rules immediately because of coronavirus - IATA

LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - Rules governing airport slots
should be suspended immediately in light of the disruption to
flight schedules caused by coronavirus to prevent airlines being
penalised, industry body IATA said on Monday.

Takeoff and landing slot rules mean airlines must fill at
least 80% of their slots in any given season, or risk losing
their allocation next time round.

But dozens of airlines have cancelled flights to China and
cut services to other countries such as Singapore and Italy as a
result of the outbreak and IATA said national regulators should
relax slot requirements given these exceptional circumstances.

"We are calling for regulators worldwide to help the
industry plan for today's emergency, and the future recovery of
the network, by suspending the slot use rules on a temporary
basis," IATA CEO and Director General Alexandre de Juniac said.

"There are precedents for previous suspension of the slot
use rules and we believe the circumstances again call for a
suspension to be granted," he said in a statement.

Airlines globally stand to lose $1.5 billion this year
because of the outbreak, an IATA official said earlier on
Monday.

Shares in the airline sector have been rocked by the spread
of the virus and British Airways owner IAG and Finnair both said
last week the outbreak would hit profits.

"Given these extraordinary circumstances as a result of the
public health emergency, the collective view of the airline
industry is that the application the 80% rule during the
upcoming season is inappropriate," IATA said in a statement.

"Flexibility is needed for airlines to adjust their
schedules according to extraordinary demand developments."
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by David Clarke)