Airport Slots

EBAA calls for a fairer and more balanced slot regulation

The current EU slot allocation system is structurally unfair to business aviation. It was designed around the needs of scheduled carriers and fails to recognise the specific nature of non-scheduled operations. The definition of ‘programmed non-scheduled’ services excludes the vast majority of business aviation activity, which by its very nature is flexible and demand-driven. As a result, business aviation operators are effectively denied access to coordinated airports, even when they play a vital role in ensuring connectivity, efficiency, and economic activity.

This discriminatory framework is increasingly problematic as airport capacity in Europe comes under greater strain. The continued growth of scheduled traffic, coupled with the preferential rights granted to airlines, means that business aviation is being marginalised and, in some cases, effectively pushed out of key airports. Without reform, business aviation risks losing access to essential infrastructure that is critical for companies, governments, and communities that rely on flexible air transport solutions.

EBAA calls for a fairer and more balanced slot regulation that recognises the historical rights of all airspace users and acknowledges business aviation as an integral part of Europe’s air transport policy. A revised framework must ensure equitable treatment for every model of aviation, safeguard continued access to coordinated airports, and enable a more efficient use of limited airport capacity for the benefit of all European citizens and businesses.