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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airports Council International (ACI) Europe have publicly expressed differing views on airport slot allocation as demand increases. On December 18th, IATA released a whitepaper proposing updates to worldwide slot guidelines, warning that airport capacity could threaten travel accessibility. The association noted that nearly 400 airports globally use its Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG), with this number potentially increasing by 25% over the next decade.
IATA emphasized the need for airports to maximize capacity amid delays in new construction projects due to political constraints. Nick Careen, IATA's senior vice president for operations, safety, and security, stated: “But airports face no penalties if they don’t deliver promised capacity. They have little pressure to meet global benchmarks on efficiency.” He called for increased transparency in airport capacity declarations and a rebalancing of obligations between airports and airlines.
In response, ACI Europe criticized IATA's statement as "misleading." On December 19th, Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI Europe, said: “Airports are responsible and economically-driven businesses — with both their business and social mandates resulting in a strong focus on maximising the use of their facilities.” He highlighted the technological innovations and infrastructure optimizations that airports are investing in to enhance their facilities.
