Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93Show full title

Article 2 U.K. Definitions

For the purpose of this Regulation:

(a)

[F1 ‘slot’ shall mean the permission given by a coordinator in accordance with this Regulation to use the full range of airport infrastructure necessary to operate an air service at a coordinated airport on a specific date and time for the purpose of landing or take-off as allocated by a coordinator in accordance with this Regulation;

(b)

‘new entrant’ shall mean:

(i)

an air carrier requesting, as part of a series of slots, a slot at an airport on any day, where, if the carrier's request were accepted, it would in total hold fewer than [F2 seven] slots at that airport on that day, or

(ii)

an air carrier requesting a series of slots for a non-stop scheduled passenger service between two [F3 airports in the United Kingdom, or between an airport in the United Kingdom and an airport in an EEA state,] where at most two other air carriers operate the same non-stop scheduled service between these airports or airport systems on that day, where, if the air carrier's request were accepted, the air carrier would nonetheless hold fewer than [F4 seven] slots at that airport on that day for that non-stop service, or

(iii)

an air carrier requesting a series of slots at an airport for a non-stop scheduled passenger service between that airport and a regional airport where no other air carrier operates a direct scheduled passenger service between these airports or airport systems on that day, where, if the air carrier's request were accepted, the air carrier would nonetheless hold fewer than [F5 seven] slots at that airport on that day for that non-stop service.

An air carrier holding more than 5 % of the total slots available on the day in question at a particular airport, or more than 4 % of the total slots available on the day in question in an airport system of which that airport forms part, shall not be considered as a new entrant at that airport;]

(c)

‘direct air service’ shall mean a service between two airports including stopovers with the same aircraft and same flight number;

(d)

‘scheduling period’ shall mean either the summer or winter season as used in the schedules of air carriers;

(e)

[F6 ‘UK air carrier’ means an air carrier with a valid operating licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority in accordance with Chapter II of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 September 2008 on common rules for the operation of air services in the United Kingdom;]

(ea)

[F7 ‘qualifying air carrier’ means:

(i)

a UK air carrier, or

(ii)

any air carrier eligible to operate services on the route concerned under or by virtue of an agreement between the United Kingdom and another country;]

(f)

(i)

[F1 ‘air carrier’ shall mean an air transport undertaking holding a valid operating licence or equivalent at the latest on 31 January for the following summer season or on 31 August for the following winter season. For the purpose of Articles 4, 8, 8a and 10, the definition of air carrier shall also include business aviation operators, when they operate according to a schedule; for the purposes of Articles 7 and 14; the definition of air carrier shall also include all civil aircraft operators;

(ii)

‘group of air carriers’ shall mean two or more air carriers which together perform joint operations, franchise operations or code-sharing for the purpose of operating a specific air service;

(g)

‘coordinated airport’ shall mean any airport where, in order to land or take off, it is necessary for an air carrier or any other aircraft operator to have been allocated a slot by a coordinator, with the exception of State flights, emergency landings and humanitarian flights;]

(h)

‘airport system’ shall mean two or more airports grouped together and serving the same city or conurbation, as indicated in Annex II to Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92[F1 ;]

(i)

[F8 ‘schedules facilitated airport’ shall mean an airport where there is potential for congestion at some periods of the day, week or year which is amenable to resolution by voluntary cooperation between air carriers and where a schedules facilitator has been appointed to facilitate the operations of air carriers operating services or intending to operate services at that airport;

(j)

‘managing body of an airport’ shall mean the body which, in conjunction with other activities or otherwise, has the task under national laws or regulations of administering and managing the airport facilities and coordinating and controlling the activities of the various operators present at the airport or within the airport system concerned;

(k)

‘series of slots’ shall mean at least five slots having been requested for the same time on the same day of the week regularly in the same scheduling period and allocated in that way or, if that is not possible, allocated at approximately the same time;

(l)

‘business aviation’ shall mean that sector of general aviation which concerns the operation or use of aircraft by companies for the carriage of passengers or goods as an aid to the conduct of their business, where the aircraft are flown for purposes generally considered not for public hire and are piloted by individuals having, at a minimum, a valid commercial pilot license with an instrument rating;

(m)

‘coordination parameters’ shall mean the expression in operational terms of all the capacity available for slot allocation at an airport during each coordination period, reflecting all technical, operational and environmental factors that affect the performance of the airport infrastructure and its different sub-systems] [F9 ;

(n)

‘required percentage’ shall mean:

• 50 %, in the case of slots with a date falling within the scheduling period from 31 October 2021 until 26 March 2022;

• [F10 70 %, in the case of slots with a date falling within the scheduling period from 27 March 2022 until 29 October 2022;]

• [F11 70 %, in the case of slots with a date falling within the scheduling period from 30 October 2022 until 25 March 2023;]

• 80 %, in any other case.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Regulation (EC) No 793/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports.

F2 Word in Art. 2(b)(i) substituted (13.2.2025) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/158), regs. 1(2), 2(2)

F3 Words in Art. 2(b)(ii) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/276), regs. 1, 7(2); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F4 Word in Art. 2(b)(ii) substituted (13.2.2025) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/158), regs. 1(2), 2(2)

F5 Word in Art. 2(b)(iii) substituted (13.2.2025) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements etc.) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/158), regs. 1(2), 2(2)

F6 Art. 2(e) substituted (31.12.2020) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/276), regs. 1, 7(3); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F7 Art. 2(ea) inserted (31.12.2020) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/276), regs. 1, 7(4); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F8 Inserted by Regulation (EC) No 793/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/93 on common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports.

F9 Art. 2(n) and semi-colon inserted (30.10.2021) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/1200), regs. 1(1), 2(2)

F10 Words in Art. 2(n) inserted (26.3.2022) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/368), regs. 1(1), 2(2)

F11 Words in Art. 2(n) inserted (E.W.S.) (29.10.2022) by The Airports Slot Allocation (Alleviation of Usage Requirements) (No. 3) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/1107), regs. 1(1), 2(2)