0524
Jun 21, 01, 3:37 pm
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union plans to overhaul Europe's busy and congested airports to combat increasingly frequent delays, the EU's transport commissioner said.
The new proposal calls for modernizing EU's rules on landing and take off positions given to airlines as well as a fundamental review of the entire system, commissioner Loyola de Palacio said.
"New regulation will improve the management of slots and is a part of Commission plans to reduce air transport delays at Europe's increasingly congested airports," she added in a statement.
Palacio said that there were currently no clear EU guidelines on slot allocations to airlines. Traditionally, slots have been allocated primarily to national carriers first, with competitors left with the remaining openings.
One in five European flights was delayed last year and forecasts call for a doubling of traffic in the next decade. Airline industry figures put the annual cost of delays at some 10 billion euros ($ 9.3 billion).
The EU would like to introduce a new system of landing and take off slot positions so that new airlines can take unused positions.
The proposal calls for all unused slots at airports to be allocated to a "pool," where competing airlines can bid for them.
The new proposal calls for modernizing EU's rules on landing and take off positions given to airlines as well as a fundamental review of the entire system, commissioner Loyola de Palacio said.
"New regulation will improve the management of slots and is a part of Commission plans to reduce air transport delays at Europe's increasingly congested airports," she added in a statement.
Palacio said that there were currently no clear EU guidelines on slot allocations to airlines. Traditionally, slots have been allocated primarily to national carriers first, with competitors left with the remaining openings.
One in five European flights was delayed last year and forecasts call for a doubling of traffic in the next decade. Airline industry figures put the annual cost of delays at some 10 billion euros ($ 9.3 billion).
The EU would like to introduce a new system of landing and take off slot positions so that new airlines can take unused positions.
The proposal calls for all unused slots at airports to be allocated to a "pool," where competing airlines can bid for them.