AECFA

With regards the processes of adjusting and confirming flight schedules, the air transport industry recognises three different categories of airport, depending on the relationship between operational demand and airport capacity.

• Level 1 airports (or non-coordinated airports): airports whose capacity is enough to meet airlines' transport demand.
• Level 2 airports (or airports with schedules facilitated): airports where airlines' transport demand is close to the airport's capacity and where there is a potential risk of saturation at certain times. In these airports voluntary cooperation between airlines may be necessary, and there will be a Schedule Facilitator to organise and adjust the schedules as needed to avoid congestion.
• Level 3 airports (or coordinated airports): airports where the transport demand of airlines exceeds the airport capacity for significant periods and the situation cannot be resolved in the short term. In these airports there will be a Slot Coordinator, and all airlines must have a slot authorised by the Coordinator in order to land or take off at the airport (except for State flights, emergency landings and humanitarian flights).

Pursuant to the provisions of Article 3 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93, of 18 January, and of Article 4 of Royal Decree 20/2014, of 17 January, on completion of the regulatory regime for the allocation of slots at Spanish airports, the following categorisation has been devised (Annex I – RD 20/2014):

• Coordinated airports:
  Alicante – Elche, Barcelona – El Prat, Bilbao, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Ibiza (summer season), Lanzarote, Adolfo Suárez Madrid – Barajas, Málaga – Costa del Sol, Menorca (summer season), Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife Sur and Valencia.
• Airports with schedules facilitated:
  A Coruña, Almería, Asturias, Girona – Costa Brava, FG.L. Granada – Jaén, Ibiza (winter season), Jerez, La Palma, Menorca (winter season), Murcia – San Javier, Pamplona, Reus, San Sebastián, Santander, Seville and Tenerife Norte.

Map of Coordinated and Schedules Facilitated Airports

Published on 26 April 2010 at 9:45 AM