The EU is planning stricter rules for airline mergers to address concerns about the effectiveness of slot concessions.
Interim EU antitrust commissioner Didier Reynders says he intends to demand tougher concessions from airlines undergoing consolidation to ensure fair competition in the industry.
Didier Reynders said: “Some years ago, we were sure the slots solution was fine. Maybe the results are not there. “We see some remedies are not efficient. In the past, the main request to airlines was to ask to offer slots to other companies. If this were impossible and not enough, we may need to seek other concessions from airlines, such as forcing them to sell assets.”
Negotiating airline slots is a common practice to allocate landing and takeoff rights at capacity-constrained airports.
Major airports have slot coordination committees responsible for managing slots based on guidelines from aviation authorities.
The new antitrust revision will require airlines to allocate slots to rivals on routes with competition concerns.
In some cases, airlines may be asked to sell non-passenger-related assets to gain clearance, including planes, cargo businesses, or contracts.
The previous approach of asking airlines to offer slots to other companies may not have produced desired results, leading regulators to seek alternative concessions.
The European Commission confronts a wave of consolidation in the airline industry following a lull during the pandemic.
