Passengers could pay price if airlines don’t adhere to Dublin ‘time slots’

AIRLINES using Dublin Airport could be hit with large fines from next year if they fail to use their allocated time slots, under new proposals for controlling aircraft traffic.

Under EU legislation, the Government is obliged to put in place sanctions to penalise airlines that repeatedly and intentionally misuse slots.

The move could result in higher air fares as airlines are likely to pass on the cost of such fines to their customers.

From summer 2006, airlines will not be allowed to operate flights to and from Dublin without the approval of an independent coordinator.

Under the current system, slots for departures and arrivals are agreed between airlines on a voluntary basis with a UK company, ACL, acting as a facilitator.

However, aviation sources claim that both Aer Lingus and Ryanair - the airport’s two largest users - are the biggest offenders in terms of failing to adhere to their allocated time slots.

The EU has stipulated that sanctions are introduced for coordinated airports in order to make the most efficient use of scarce capacity at congested European airports.

The Dublin Airport Authority has strongly supported the switch in status in order to better manage record traffic levels.

However, Ryanair claims there is no justification for the change and is challenging the decision of the CAR in the High Court.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the change would make it impossible for any airline to add on additional flights during peak periods in response to customer demand for extra services.

Although there are problems with capacity at the airport terminal in Dublin, Mr O’Leary said there were no difficulties with runway capacity, which was a far more important factor in deciding on the status of an airport.

Commissioner for Aviation Regulation Bill Prasifka said his decision to designate Dublin as a coordinated airport was based on the fact that there had been a 100% increase in the number of refusals by airlines to adjust their allocated slot times when requested to do so by the facilitator in 2005.

However, Ryanair claims that the number of flights which did not adhere to their allocated slot accounts for less than 1% of all aircraft traffic in Dublin.

A Dublin Airport Authority spokesperson said Dublin was the largest airport of its kind that had not been accorded coordinated status until the CAR’s recent decision.