maat
13th Mar 2007, 22:40
I’ve often wondered as a pilot, the procedure for acquiring scheduled ‘slots’ for scheduled passenger flights.
Recently a newspaper reported on the BMed ghosting flights from LHR-CWL, the reason it was reported was to keep LHR runway slots active.
What is the procedure for allocating slots? I assume when an operator announces a new route; the operator must first of all approach the destination airport for availability of runway slots, possibly not necessary in quiet airports. When the runway slots or availability are determined, the operator then notifies an authority in charge of flow control, which issue scheduled airways slots. If the two ‘slots’, airport and airway, match, the operator is free to operate. This is all an assumption, is it correct?
What kind of time scale is normal for the acquisition of slots, both runway and airway? There must be a lead-time, otherwise the operator would not have time to organise the operation, nor would the airport or ATC authorities have time to finalise their arrangements.
Recently a newspaper reported on the BMed ghosting flights from LHR-CWL, the reason it was reported was to keep LHR runway slots active.
What is the procedure for allocating slots? I assume when an operator announces a new route; the operator must first of all approach the destination airport for availability of runway slots, possibly not necessary in quiet airports. When the runway slots or availability are determined, the operator then notifies an authority in charge of flow control, which issue scheduled airways slots. If the two ‘slots’, airport and airway, match, the operator is free to operate. This is all an assumption, is it correct?
What kind of time scale is normal for the acquisition of slots, both runway and airway? There must be a lead-time, otherwise the operator would not have time to organise the operation, nor would the airport or ATC authorities have time to finalise their arrangements.