Business aircraft operators should be more vocal when requesting slots at congested European airports, according to presenters yesterday at an information session on airport access. But a European Commission representative and the chairman of the EU airport coordinators association (EUACA) had converging viewpoints when pressed by operators who worry about getting kicked out of airports. Separately, Dayton Lehman, a representative of the U.S. Department of Transportation, gave an update on the DOT’s licensing process for EU operators flying to the U.S.
“The issue of airport access undermines the value proposition business aviation makes,” said Mark Wilson, NetJets Europe’s director of regulatory affairs. Indeed, as Nikolaas Pel, representative of the airports and infrastructure unit at the European Commission’s directorate for air transport, reminded, grandfather rights in slot allocation are there to encourage regular operations. However, in future regulation, he said, general and business aviation (GBA) operators may become members of coordinating committees at coordinated airports. This may include reserving slots for GBA flights.
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