F L I G H T P L A N N I N G
50 | BU S INE S S A I R P O RT INT E RNAT I ONA L O C TO B E R 2 0 1 9
want to land as close as possible to their
final destination.
Another possible solution may be Airport
Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM).
This new way of running an airport improves
computer and communication networks
between its different functions, such as
scheduling slots, ATC, ground support,
airline and terminal operations. An A-CDM aims to share
information more across different departments and make it
available faster. London Stansted expects to start operating
an A-CDM system in January 2021. Hayward says,
“Stansted’s A-CDM project is going to try and tie some
of these elements up. So the system may improve in the
future, but at the moment they are completely separated, so
the slot generated is in no way linked to what’s happening
on the ground.”
An alternative approach to making slot allocation fairer
would be to overhaul the system drastically. Some propose
getting rid of the concept of slots completely and claim that
in an increasingly connected environment they are becoming
a blunt instrument with which to organize capacity. Reform of
the slot allocation system is said to be high on the agenda
within European government, which inaugurated a new EU
Commission last month.
In the USA there is a different approach with hardly
any Federal slot allocation. The WSG are only used at four
capacity-constrained airports. But this does not mean the
system is always fair and that there are no delays though.
Hayward says, “I believe you do need structure in the
system. Slot coordinators exist for a reason and have a
purpose. Getting rid of slots all together isn’t the solution,
you would cause other issues and problems.
“We need a system that actually understands what we
need as an industry and has a bit of dynamism goes within
it to allow us to be able to operate and offer flexibility, which
is what business aviation is really trying to sell and promote.”
Whatever the answer, the solution will require all
stakeholders to communicate more, most likely at a local
level. Herbane says, “Establishing dialogue between all of
the entities involved at the specific airports where business
aviation really does have access issues will achieve a better
solution for all concerned.”
“We want
to ensure that a
scarce capacity is
allocated in the best
possible way”
Eric Herbane WWACG
chairman,
Avoiding the jam
It can be particularly difficult for
business aviation operators to obtain
slots at capacity constrained airports
during major sporting, cultural or
political events, for instance, during
the Olympics, The Davos Forum or the
Cannes Film Festival.
A way business aviation companies
can circumvent this problem is
to use nearby smaller regional
airports that are unable to handle
larger commercial airliners. Some
examples of airports that have several
alternatives around them, which may
be more suitable for business aviation
customers include:
• London Heathrow and Gatwick
– there are several airports in
and around London, Biggin Hill,
Farnborough, Northolt, Luton,
London Oxford and London Southend
that can provide availability when its
major airports
• South of France – during the summer
rush to the Mediterranean there are
several alternatives to Nice Côte
d’Azur Airport, for example Cannes,
Marseille, and Toulon
• Malaysia – Subang airport, which was
Kuala Lumpur’s main airport until
the late 1990s, has FBOs that provide
handling and services for business
aviation (see our feature page 24)
• Dubai – formerly known as Dubai
World Central, Dubai South offers
a slot-free alternative and a VIP
terminal. Other options include
Jebel Ali Al Maktoum International
and Sharjah.
are not discriminatory.
“It’s wrong to say that
the rules are made
to meet the airline’s
needs. It’s just that
the airline’s business
model is closer to the
common-sense way
of filling the capacity,”
he says.
“When you want to fill
a glass or a pot, you start
with the big stones first. And
then you add the sand – not the
other way – to make sure that you can put
as many as much in place as possible.
“We are using the same logic with the
rules. We want to make sure that a scarce
capacity is allocated in the best possible
way. When you have a request for flights
that can be planned six months in advance
on a daily basis, then for sure that will be
used first.
“It’s not that the rules are made for
the airlines or discriminatory, it’s just the
business aviation model does not fit into
the rules. We need to find solutions to guarantee or to
business aviation the opportunities to operate.”
Flexible solutions
A possible solution to accessing capacity-constrained is
to not access them at all. Instead operators can use the
flexibility smaller aircraft affords them (see box Avoiding the
jam) to use alternative airports in the capacity-constrained
airport’s vicinity. However, this may not always be the
optimum solution for business aviation customers, who often
© Tom Kuest, william87, aapsky, rekandphoto - stock.adobe.com
Above: Business jets contain
less passengers than larger
commercial airliners and are
therefore less profitable for
congested airports
/stock.adobe.com