To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Civil Aviation Authority are taking to offer to other airlines the easyJet landing slots at Gatwick for the Aberdeen routes being terminated in February.
Answered on
12 February 2019
Under European Union regulations slot allocation at co-ordinated airports in the UK is managed by a designated slot co-ordinator entirely independently of the UK Government, the Civil Aviation Authority and other interested parties. The Government therefore plays no part in, and is legally prevented from intervening in, the slot allocation process.
However, the Government recognises that air connectivity between Scotland and London and the rest of the UK is of the utmost importance. The Government have set a clear expectation that about 15% of slots made available from expansion at Heathrow Airport will be used for domestic flights. As part of this we expect around 100 additional flights per week between Scotland and Heathrow once the new capacity is delivered. The Government also set out a requirement in the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) for Heathrow to work with airlines to strengthen existing routes and deliver new connections.