A landing slot , takeoff slot , or airport slot is a permission granted by a slot coordinator to use the infrastructure of an airport designated as Level 3 (Coordinated Airport) for take-off and/or landing at a specific time and date. Slots should be administered by an independent slot coordinator, often a government aviation regulator such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration . In some countries, airport operators are appointed as coordinators even though they are interested parties.
23-408: An airport authority is an entity responsible for the operation and oversight of an airport or group of airports. The Airports Council International is the world trade association of airport authorities. In some countries, when the authority of an entity encompasses more than just the airports in an area, harbor and rail facilities for example, the entity may be referred to as a port authority . In
46-470: A pair of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow Airport was $ 75m, paid by Oman Air to Air France–KLM for a prized early morning arrival, reported in February 2016. A year before, American Airlines paid $ 60m to Scandinavian Airlines . As supply is limited, slot trading became the main solution to enter Heathrow and transfers grew from 42 in 2000 to 526 in 2012 and over 10 years the average priced slot
69-562: A set of best practices together with measuring and benchmarking opportunities provided through the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programs. In 2015, ACI created an Expert Group on Slots (EGS) that proposes a worldwide policy on slots . The Group wrote a Position Paper to guide ACI's advocacy on this topic and recommend involvement in the development of the IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines. ASQ
92-626: Is a worldwide program part of the ACI's Airport Quality Service Initiative that surveys passengers on their day of travel, measuring passengers' views. The program claims to "measure passengers' satisfaction" at the departure and arrival stages of their journey through airports. ACI first launched the Airports Excellence Program (APEX) in Safety in 2012. The program provides assistance for airports to enhance their level of safety. It
115-562: Is an organization of airport authorities , informing members of industry practices and airport standards. Established in 1991, its headquarters (ACI World) are based in Montreal, Quebec , Canada , and its members operate more than 2000 airports. Major programs include safety enhancement and Airport Service Quality Awards (ASQ), based on passenger satisfaction ratings. Other initiatives cover economics, operational security, carbon accreditation , and passenger transportation. Before 1970,
138-445: Is based on airport safety reviews, which analyze gaps in airport operation and infrastructure in comparison to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and safety best practices. ACI organizes and dispatches an on-site team from ICAO and other airports to identify and remedy safety vulnerabilities through peer reviews, information sharing, training, and assistance with implementations of management structures. It covers
161-457: Is involved in airport design specifications, standard operating procedures for airports, technology, systems & equipment, safety management systems for airports, safety guidance material and training. ACI encourages its member airports to improve operational and cost efficiency to moderate the cost of flying, mitigate capacity shortfalls and create sufficient rates of return. ACI has formulated policy positions on security issues that guide
184-659: The Airport Service Quality Awards (ASQ) , based on passenger satisfaction ratings in the ASQ Survey, which is a global survey based on interviews with passengers on the day of travel. Along with the World Airport Awards by Skytrax , it is considered one of the most prestigious accolades in the industry. The awards are given out in five categories: Airport slots Slots are allocated in accordance with guidelines set down by
207-759: The Asia-Pacific region in 2011, in Africa in 2013, and eventually went global in 2014 with the extension to the regions of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2017, IATA and ACI launched the New Experience in Travel and Technologies (NEXTT) initiative for on-ground transport experience, to guide industry investments and help governments improve the regulatory framework. NEXTT investigates how
230-481: The United States, authorities are often governed by a group of airport commissioners, who are appointed to lead the authority by a government official. In Canada, airport authorities usually refer to private (not government owned or affiliated) not-for-profit companies that are established to manage a city's commercial airports. Airports Council International Airports Council International ( ACI )
253-664: The Worldwide Airport Slot Board with 7 members each from International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airport Council International (ACI) and the Worldwide Airport Coordinator Group (WWACG). All airports worldwide are categorized as either Level 1 (Non-Coordinated Airport), Level 2 (Schedules Facilitated Airport), or Level 3 (Coordinated Airport). At Level 2 airports, the principles governing slot allocation are less stringent; airlines periodically submit proposed schedules to
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#1732773134605276-439: The administrating authority, rather than historic performance. Participation is not mandatory, but reduces congestion and non-participants are penalized if the airport must later be designated level 3. As of the summer 2022 scheduled season, a total of 156 airports in the world are Level 2 airports, and 195 are Level 3 airports. If an airline does not use an allocation of slots (typically 80% usage over six months), it can lose
299-507: The founding members of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), ACI, along with other trade associations, is part of a coalition of aviation industry experts focusing on sustainable development issues. ATAG defines common positions on issues to make contributions to the industry and governmental consultation processes. ACI helps airports improve their management or flow of passengers, baggage, cargo and mail by providing
322-432: The incorporation of training into airport staff security awareness programs, and support activities of governments, charities and non-governmental organizations who are involved in the prevention of human trafficking. Airports Council International is committed to developing a framework to fight wildlife trafficking and adopting and encouraging the adoption of a zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal wildlife trade . ACI
345-653: The organization and member airports. All of the ACI IT initiatives are coordinated through the ACI World Airport IT Standing Committee, constituted by people from airports and business partners and aims to reformulate recommended practices and develop guidelines, benchmarking and training materials. ACI develops initiatives to reduce environmental impacts while supporting economic and social benefits. It created tools to help airports calculate their greenhouse gas emissions . As one of
368-631: The passengers, cargo, baggage and aircraft move through the travel journey with a focus on change in off-airport activities, processing technology, and interactive decision-making. Airports Council International expressed airports' commitment to the fight against human trafficking through the approbation of a resolution during the ACI World General Assembly in 2016. The resolution expressed ACI's commitments to promote awareness of human trafficking through media, provide access to training materials and materials for distribution, encourage
391-654: The rights. Airlines may operate ghost or empty flights to preserve slot allocations. To avoid pollution and financial losses caused by an excessive number of empty flights, these rules have occasionally been waived during periods of temporary but widespread travel disruption, including after the September 11, 2001 attacks and during the SARS epidemic , the Great Recession , and the COVID-19 pandemic . Maintenance of
414-484: The rules forces airlines to schedule extra unnecessary flights to keep their slots, wasting fuel; a 2021 expiration of a waiver in the United States was projected to cause 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per day. Allocated landing slots may have a commercial value and can be traded between airlines. In 2008 Continental Airlines paid US$ 209 million for four pairs of landing slots from GB Airways at London Heathrow Airport, $ 52.3m each. The highest price paid for
437-641: The setup, implementation, and performance of the safety management system in the areas of physical characteristics & pavement management, air rescue and firefighting, wildlife management, apron management, documentation, record keeping, and security management systems. In October 2017, ACI launched the APEX in Security Program based on the same principles as APEX in Safety. The program covers Operational Security Management, with assessments being performed by security experts. Airport Carbon Accreditation
460-505: The world's airports were represented by three distinct associations: In 1970, these three associations created the Airport Associations Coordinating Council (AACC) in order to formulate unified airport industry policies, furthering collaboration between its constituent associations and representing them collectively with aviation organizations and other relevant bodies. The decision to create ACI
483-483: Was launched as an independent, voluntary program in 2009 after the adoption of a resolution on climate change in 2008 at the annual assembly of ACI Europe. Member airports are committed to reduce carbon emissions from their operations, with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral. The program allowed the assessment and recognition of participating airports' efforts to manage and reduce their CO 2 emissions. Airport Carbon Accreditation has been extended to airports in
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#1732773134605506-639: Was one of the parties involved in the signature of the United for Wildlife Task Force Declaration at the Buckingham Palace in 2016. The organization is dedicated to developing practical solutions while cooperating with international initiatives such as the Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) partnership. ACI delivers data regarding the aviation industry monthly and annually. The ACI gives out
529-1345: Was taken in 1989. The Constitution of ACI to succeed AACC was approved in the autumn of 1990 and came into effect in 1991. In 2011, ACI relocated its headquarters from Geneva, Switzerland , to Montreal, Canada . The decision was in part motivated by the fact that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) are both also located in Montreal. ACI reported 814 members operating 2,110 airports in 169 countries and territories. ACI regular members are owners or operators, other than airlines, of one or more civil airports with commercial air services. ACI represents airports interests with governments and international organizations such as ICAO , develops standards, policies and recommended practices for airports, and provides information and training. ACI considers safety its main priority and has launched programs such as Airport Excellence (APEX) to help airports enhance their level of safety. It also provides publications that describe recommendations and best practices for airport operators. It
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