Many airports in the EU are experiencing capacity constraints due to the growth in air traffic over the past years. With the creation of a single aviation market in the 1990s, the need for an EU-wide regulation on airport slots became evident. An airport slot grants permission to use the necessary airport infrastructure to operate an air service at a specific date and time for landing or take-off.
The Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 (the Slot Regulation) was adopted to ensure that airlines have access to the busiest EU airports on the basis of neutrality, transparency and non-discrimination. The slots are allocated by independent slot coordinators and airlines must use 80% of their allocated slots or risk losing them in the following years. This is known as the "use it or lose it" rule. The EU rules also promote the access of new airlines to airports.
The Slot Regulation was adopted in 1993, shortly after the third "aviation package" which created the EU internal market in aviation. During this time, the European air transport market was still dominated by a small number of traditional national carriers. In 2004, the Slot Regulation received technical improvements. The Regulation has also been temporarily amended several times to grant airlines relief from certain requirements during times of disruption to the air transport industry, most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In certain circumstances, when the “justified non-use of slots exception” applies, air carriers will retain their grandfathered slots even if they do not operate 80% of their allocated slots. This is the case for example if an airport or airspace is closed. The exception became very important in recent years during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Legislation
Regulation (EEC) 95/93 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports
Consolidated version (24/02/2022)