More than a third of take-off and landing slots across the 30 Middle East airports were cancelled in May, down from 54 per cent through March and April, leading airport slot manager Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) says.
Of the 30 Middle East airports ACL serves across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Oman, those in the United Arab Emirates were most impacted by the US-Israel war on Iran.
“May already shows 35 per cent of slots cancelled although the actual outcome will be dependent on events,” CEO Neil Garwood said. “The airports furthest from Iran, such as those in western Saudi Arabia, are less affected.”
ACL manages slots at 80 airports in the Middle East, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Garwood says the conflict has caused significant collateral damage in all these markets with surging jet fuel prices and limited supply prompting airlines to raise airfares and cut flights.
“We’ve been tracking airports across 11 countries since the start of hostilities that have experienced varying degrees of disturbance,” Garwood says.
At Sydney Airport, where ACL manages the slots, 60 per cent of flights to and from the Middle East were cancelled during March, with cancellations increasing to 67 per cent during April.
For May, Middle East slot cancellations at Sydney are running at 32 per cent, a number that may increase during the month.
At London’s Heathrow Airport, where ACL also manages the slots, air transport movements to and from the Middle East fell 47 per cent during March while passenger numbers for the month slumped 51 per cent over the previous year according to airport data.
Middle East slot cancellations at Heathrow during May are, like Sydney, at 32 per cent.
ACL’s Garwood says communication between airlines and the slot manager is crucial during a fast-moving crisis.
“Operators want early clarity around whether their future slot allocation will be protected if they cancel to help with planning and route workarounds,” he says.
“ACL issued tailored guidance to assist airlines with how they could respond to the events within the rules and regulations of each jurisdiction and worked with industry bodies to harmonise this where possible.
“We’ve seen airlines be agile about recycling slots for different purposes. For example, avoiding the Middle East region and putting extra flights on routes as demand patterns change.”
As fighting in Iran and Lebanon has subsided, Garwood says the focus is now on fuel supply and its impact on cancellations.
