Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 13th February 2025.

(3) This regulation and regulation 2(1), (2) and (3)(b)(ii) extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(4) Regulation 2(3)(a) and (b)(i) and regulation 3 extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Amendment of Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93

2.—(1)4) is amended as follows.

(2) In Article 2 (definitions), in point (b) (definition of “new entrant”), in points (i), (ii) and (iii), for “five”, in each place where that word appears, substitute “seven”.

(3) In Article 10 (slot pool)—

(a)omit paragraph 2a(5);

(b)in paragraph 4—

(i)omit points (e), (f) and (g); and

(ii)at the end insert—

“(h)in relation to slots with a date falling within a time when there are government-imposed measures relating to a pandemic, epidemic or other outbreak of disease which meet all of conditions (i) to (iv) below—

(i)the measures apply at either end of the route for which the slots in question were used or planned to be used;

(ii)the measures take the form of any of the following affecting the route, or a significant number of passengers or crew on the route—

(aa)flight bans or border closures;

(bb)quarantine or self-isolation requirements;

(cc)requirements to test negative for the disease in question before undertaking air travel or before entry into the territory of the government concerned;

(dd)official government advice against all but essential travel;

(ee)the total closure of, or severe restrictions on the availability of, airports, or essential ground handling services or other businesses essential to support aviation;

(ff)severe restrictions on the number of passengers permitted on flights or in airports;

(gg)severe or total closure of accommodation, surface travel or other essential tourist services; or

(hh)significant restrictions on onward travel which is booked along with the flight as part of a package;

(iii)the measures severely reduce the viability of, or demand for passenger travel on, the route for part or all of the period to which the slots relate; and

(iv)one or more of the following applies—

(aa)the measures are in effect at the date the slots are due to be operated;

(bb)the measures were in effect for a maximum of three weeks before that date; or

(cc)the measures were in effect for more than three weeks before that date, the government imposing the measures made an official announcement relating to their duration which made it reasonable to expect that they would remain in effect until that date, and the air carrier made the slots available to the coordinator for reallocation.”.

Transitional and saving provision

3. The omission of point (g) of paragraph 4 of Article 10 by regulation 2(3)(b)(i) of these Regulations has no effect in relation to the allocation of slots for the scheduling period running from the date these Regulations come into force until 29th March 2025 inclusive.