The European Commission confirmed yesterday that it will be extending the waiver of the 80/20 slot rule through to the end of the winter season.

Commissioner Adina Vălean stated, that “The air traffic levels remain low, and more importantly, they are not likely to recover in the near future. In this context, the lack of certainty over slots makes it difficult for airlines to plan their schedules, making planning difficult for airports and passengers”.

The industry stakeholders – airports, airlines, and slot-coordinators – have reached an agreement on how to mitigate these problems. Airlines will now be able to start planning and making available any excess airport capacity for others to use.
The decision of the European Commission will protect airline’s slots until the 27th of March 2021 and will allow carriers to plan upcoming winter schedules.

The actual decision follows a strong call to the Commission to take action earlier this month from different organizations, among them IATA, A4E, ACI Europe, and others.