#2026/657UK Airport Slot Usage Relief for Summer 2026
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This law gives airlines limited relief from airport slot usage rules for the 2026 summer season at airports in England, Wales and Scotland. Airlines can return certain slots by set deadlines without those slots counting against their usage record, helping them avoid losing future rights to the same slots. The measure affects airlines operating at coordinated UK airports, airport slot coordinators and passengers whose flights are cancelled. Airlines must meet conditions, including notifying affected passengers at least 14 days before departure, to benefit from the relief.
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Key Changes
- Allows certain early returned slots to be excluded from the usage calculation for the 2026 summer season.
- Sets two return windows for summer 2026, each covering up to 5% of an airline’s allocated slots at an airport.
- Requires airlines to meet conditions, including timely passenger cancellation notice, before benefiting from the relief.
Obligations
What this law requires
Air carriers seeking relief for the 2026 summer season must return eligible allocated slots to the airport slot coordinator before 10 July 2026 for the first tranche of up to 5% of allocated summer-season slots.
Air carriers seeking relief for the 2026 summer season must return any additional eligible allocated slots not already returned under the first tranche to the airport slot coordinator before 11 October 2026, up to a further 5% of allocated summer-season slots.
Airport slot coordinators must exclude from the usage calculation eligible summer 2026 slots returned before 10 July 2026, up to 5% of the slots allocated to the air carrier at that airport for the season, where the statutory conditions are met.
Airport slot coordinators must exclude from the usage calculation eligible summer 2026 slots returned before 11 October 2026, up to a further 5% of slots not already returned under the first tranche, where the statutory conditions are met.
Air carriers must notify affected passengers at least 14 days before the scheduled departure of a cancelled flight in order to benefit from the summer 2026 slot-usage relief.