Vol. 478 No. 4
249 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if he supported the EU Commission's original proposals of 1996 to the Council of Transport Ministers, that airlines should be obliged to surrender 5 per cent of their slots annually to liberalise slot allocation at congested airports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11156/97]
250 Mr. S. Brennan asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications his views on slot trading at congested EU destination airports out of Ireland; his views on whether airlines should not be allowed to trade or sell slots in view of the fact that this would be anti-competitive, anti-new airline entrants into the market and thereby anti-consumer interests. [11157/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 249 and 250 together.
Council Regulation (EEC) No. 95/93 established common rules for the allocation of slots at airports in the European Union. The regulation provides that airports where congestion is a regular or constant feature may be designated by member states as co-ordinated or fully co-ordinated airports. At these airports responsibility for overseeing slot allocation is a matter for a co-ordinator assisted, in the case of severely congested airports, by a consultative committee open to carriers using the airport.
Under the regulation, operation of an airport slot by a carrier entitles that carrier, subject to clearance by the co-ordinator, to claim the same slot in the next equivalent scheduling period. There is also provision for slots to be freely exchanged between air carriers or transferred by an air carrier from one route or type of service to another, subject to such changes or transfers being transparent and to feasibility being confirmed by the co-ordinator. Slot pools for the distribution of newly created and unused slots must be established. Fifty per cent of slots available for distribution must be allocated to new entrant carriers.
This regulation is still in force and the European Commission has not as yet submitted any formal proposals to the EU Council for amending the Regulation.
Should the Commission propose amending the regulation to provide for trading in slots, I would have to consider whatever factors the Commission advanced for such a proposal.
