The UK proposed slot allocation reform: is it time to say goodbye to grandfather rights?

Delphine Defossez

Chapter 3 in Challenges in Transport Regulation in Europe and Beyond, 2025, pp 40-59 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Airport slots are by their very essence scarce resources. Traditionally, priority is given to incumbent airlines with existing slots, the so-called grandfather rights. Although criticised for years, it is only recently that the UK and EU governments have decided to tackle the problem to ensure more sustainable growth of the airline industry. At the end of 2023, the UK Government announced a consultation on reforming the distribution of slots at the most congested UK airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol. The proposed reforms aim to introduce a more market-based approach to increase competition and efficiency, but those reforms raise various practical and political challenges. Although, the current system is just no longer adequate in the light of sustainable development and economic growth, it can be wondered whether the proposed changes will in fact change anything in practice or whether they are just a feel-good move on paper.

Keywords: Slot reform; UK; Market-based approach; Grandfather rights; Auction; Missing reforms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035369157
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