Slot coordination or schedules facilitation service fee for French airports

The Decree n° 2017-60 of January 23, 2017 introduces a new regulatory framework in order to finance by a slot coordination or schedules facilitation fee the services provided by the appointed airport coordinator on French coordinated and schedules facilitated airports. It supersedes the coordinator’s former funding system which was relying on voluntary subscriptions paid by the 10 main French air carriers and the three managing bodies of the coordinated airports.

The fee covers material and labour costs arising from slot coordination or schedules facilitation tasks assigned to the appointed coordinator or schedules facilitator by the French minister in charge of civil aviation. Any other activities of the coordinator or schedules facilitator are not covered by this fee.

• French decree n° 2017-60 of January, 2017 establishing a charge for the slot coordination or schedules facilitation services rendered on French airports

The Decree adds 3 articles (R. 221-13 to 15) to the French Civil Aviation Code setting up two implementation cases; the main one concerns all French airports which are usually schedules facilitated or coordinated while the derogation one deals with those airports that are schedule facilitated or coordinated on « exceptional circumstances » as described in article 3(6) of the Council regulation (EEC) n°95/93.

In the main case:

• the airport managing body and the air carrier operating at that airport equally share the cost recovery through the payment of the same slot service fee per landing;

• the level of the slot service fee is set by the minister in charge of civil aviation: the French coordination committee advises the minister on a tarif proposal made by the appointed coordinator or schedules facilitator. Should the committee agree with the proposal, the proposed slot service fee is then approved as proposed by the minister;

• the air carriers’ share is collected by the airport managing body on behalf of the coordinator or schedules facilitator.

The derogation case applies to situations for which the traffic is unpredictable (as for sports special events for instance). In such situations, it is difficult to accurately determine a slot service fee which would cover all these costs so the main case framework cannot be applied. Therefore, in « exceptional circumstances » as described in article 3(6) of the Council regulation (EEC) n°95/93:

• the global cost to be covered for the associated slot coordination or schedules facilitation services is determined by the minister in charge of civil aviation on the basis of a proposal made by the appointed coordinator or the schedules facilitator;

• the air carriers operating on that airport during this exceptional circumstance pay a slot service fee per landing collected by the airport managing body on behalf of the coordinator or schedules facilitator;

• the concerned airport managing body shall cover the remaining part of the costs which corresponds to the global service cost as approved by the minister reduced by total amount paid by all air carriers.

4 ministerial orders of February 22, 2017 meet the decree requirements and establish a process (steps, methods and associated deadlines) to determine, publish and enforce the slot service fees.

• Ministerial order of February 22, 2017 designating COHOR as coordinator or schedules facilitator on certain airports Ministerial order of February 22, 2017 establishing a process to fix and publish the level of the charge for the slot coordination or schedules facilitation services rendered on French airport

• Ministerial order of February 22, 2017 fixing the specifications of the coordinator or schedules facilitator (french only)

• Ministerial order of February 22, 2017 establishing a process to fix and publish the level of the charge for the slot coordination or schedules facilitation services rendered on French airport

• Ministerial order of February 22, 2017 amending the modified Decree of September 28, 2004 creating the Coordination Committee of French airports Slot

• Slot coordination service fee

New rate from the 1st of April 2022

New rate from April 1st 2024

⇒For airports qualified as coordinated or schedules facilitation referred to respectively in Annex I et II

Ministerial Decree of February 22 , 2017 designating COHOR as coordinator or schedules facilitator on certain airports .

⇒For airports mentioned in Article R.221-14 of the Civil Aviation Code, qualified as schedules facilitation airports or coordinated airport in exceptional circumstances

The airport manager supplements the collected sums near the aircraft operator to cover all costs incurred by the exceptional operation.