easyJet hits out at decision
The European Commission today (March 10) proposed a "temporary freeze" on the 80-20 slots rule at congested airports.
Under the rule, airline must use slots allocated to them 80% of the time or risk losing them.
But after informal talks last week with the Association of European Airlines (AEA), the EC has proposed a freeze during the summer season from March 29 to October 24.
The decision has been welcomed by the AEA but slammed by easyJet.
In a statement, the EC said economic crisis had seen a drop in traffic since the end of 2008.
To deal with this airlines have had to cut capacity.
It said it was proposing the freeze "in order to prevent airlines maintaining their capacity and operating purely in order to keep their slots."
The freeze meant that airlines would still have the same slots in summer 2010 as in summer 2009, whether they had used them or not.
The proposal will now go before the European Parliament and the Council of minister for "urgent adoption."
The EC move was welcomed by the AEA which said it was a "practical measure to help the industry."
A spokesman added: "It will assist airlines in planning their forthcoming season and help them out of a dilemma of operating uneconomic services."
But low cost carrier easyJet said it allowed "inefficient, poorly-run airlines to horde valuable airport landing slots, rather than allowing unused slots to be returned to the many European airlines that are ready, willing and able to operate them."
Andy Harrison, its ceo, added: ""The Commission's proposal is anti-consumer and only in the narrow commercial interest of a handful of ailing flag-carriers. "We call on the European Parliament and EU Member States to reject a piece of legislation that has been written by the Association of European Airlines, the unrepresentative club of former state-run airlines."
http://europa.eu/ www.aea.be www.easyjet.com