Airline operators, airport owners and aviation regulators will face questions from a House of Lords Committee next week as it scrutinises European proposals for the allocation of landing slots at European Union airports.
On Monday 19 March, the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on the Internal Market will take evidence as part of its enhanced scrutiny of proposals on landing slot allocations that form part of the European Commission’s “Better Airports Package”. With air traffic expected to almost double by 2030, the Committee want to find out if the proposals are the best way to expand European airport capacity and will probe the witnesses on the potential impact of the regulations.
Questions are expected to touch on subject areas including the impact of the proposals on airlines, and in particular whether they would challenge the dominance of large carriers Witnesses will also be asked to demystify the “grey market” of slot allocations and slot trading, and will be quizzed on the best ways to guard against the misuse of landing slots as part of that process.
The Committee will hear from, among others, Simon McNamara – Deputy Director General, European Regions Airline Association, David Smith – Schedule Planning Manager, British Airways, and Richard Matthews – Head of Scheduling, easyJet.