9. Allocation of airport slots
| (24485)
8757/03
COM(03) 207
| Draft Regulation amending Council Regulation (EEC) No. 95/93 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports.
|
| Legal base | Article 80(2) EC; co-decision; QMV
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| Document originated | 24 April 2003
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| Deposited in Parliament | 8 May 2003
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| Department | Transport |
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 12 June 2003
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 63-xxiii (2002-03), paragraph 3 (4 June 2003)
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| To be discussed in Council | Not known
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
9.1 The allocation of landing and taking-off slots at Community
airports is regulated by Council Regulation No. 95/93,[24]
the purpose of which is to ensure an efficient distribution of
slots in a transparent and open manner. In November 2002 the Commission
presented an amended draft Regulation to amend Regulation No.
95/93, which we have recommended for debate in European Standing
Committee A.[25] Last
month we considered an additional draft amending Regulation which
would suspend temporarily the so-called "use-it-or-lose-it"
rule.
9.2 Under Regulation No. 95/93 an air carrier which uses a slot
in one season has first claim on it in the next corresponding
season, under "grandfather rights". This is subject
to use of the slot for at least 80% of the time — the "use-it-or-lose-it"
rule. Given the hostilities in Iraq and the outbreak of Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in East Asia, the European Commission
has proposed temporary increased flexibility in the application
of this rule. The draft Regulation would allow airlines to retain
slots allocated to them for summer 2003 during summer 2004, even
if they have not been able to use the slots for 80% of the time.
It would achieve this by amending the main amending draft Regulation
referred to above.
9.3 In reporting on this new proposal we said we wished to hear
the Government's view on the consequences for consumer interests
of the alleged trade restraint and anti-competitive aspects of
the proposed measure. We also noted the possibility that this
proposal might be separated from the main proposal.
The Minister's letter
9.4 The Minister of State, Department of Transport (Mr John Spellar)
now tells us the Government believes that rather than returning
slots to the pool, as some claim would happen, airlines would
continue with their existing flight patterns, even with empty
planes, in order not to lose those slots. He says this would not
further consumer interests. The Minister says that if, unexpectedly,
the airlines did surrender slots for badly hit routes, such as
Hong Kong, China and Kenya, they would be taken by low-cost carriers
operating mainly to European leisure destinations. The Government
thinks such an exchange would not be in the interests of consumers.
Therefore it supports the temporary suspension of the "use-it-or-lose-it"
rule.
9.5 But the Minister emphasises that the Government takes seriously
the competitive and consumer interest issues in relation to airport
slot allocation and that it will continue to pursue these issues
in the context of the continued discussions of the main proposal.
9.6 The Minister also tells us it has been decided to separate
the proposal for temporary suspension of the "use-it-or-lose-it"
rule from the main proposal and that it is now likely to proceed
quickly. He says that on 5 June 2003 the Council agreed a "general
approach" in favour of the proposal.
Conclusion
9.7 We are grateful to the Minister for this further explanation
of the Government's view of this proposal. We have no further
substantive questions on the document and now clear it.
9.8 We note that separating this proposal from the main proposal
now renders redundant our earlier suggestion that this document
would be relevant to the debate we have recommended in European
Standing Committee A on the main draft amending Regulation.
24 OJ No. L 14, 22.1.93, p.1. Back
25
(22519) 10288/01 and (23997) 14205/02: HC 63-v (2002-03), paragraph
2 (18 December 2002). Back
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