Airport slot allocation: performance of the current system and options for reform. Towards a comprehensive performance framework

ACCESS (www.access-sesar.eu) is a research project within SESAR WPE which addresses demand and capacity management at congested airports, focusing on market-based mechanisms for the strategic allocation of airport capacity. Market mechanisms are expected to provide the right incentives for a more efficient use of the available capacity, but they also raise a number of concerns, from the potentially negative impact on airline operating costs to market failures. There is therefore a need for a comprehensive assessment of different market designs. In this paper we introduce some considerations about the conditions to be met by a performance framework to allow a sound comparative evaluation of different slot allocation mechanisms, we outline a preliminary proposal for a set of performance areas and indicators, and discuss the potential impact of different possible reforms of the slot allocation system.