Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 27: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will rule out the loss of control of the slots at Heathrow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16871/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The State does not own nor has it control over landing or take-off slots at Heathrow Airport.

Access by airlines to landing and take-off slots at EU airports where there are capacity limitations, including Heathrow, is governed by EU Regulations. Aer Lingus has access to quite a large number of slots at London Heathrow on the basis of 'grandfather rights', that is, it has acquired the rights to these slots because it has been operating services to Heathrow for a long number of years and before Heathrow became as congested as it is today. However, Aer Lingus and any other airline, cannot hold slots in perpetuity unless they comply with the 80/20 rule i.e. they need to have used at least 80% of the allocated series of slots in a scheduling period (Summer/Winter) to be granted priority for the allocation of the same series of slots for the following scheduling period.

Aer Lingus can use the slots it currently has at Heathrow for whatever services it wishes; the Government's minority shareholding does not allow it to dictate what services the slots are to be used for. Neither is the minority shareholding sufficient on its own to prevent Aer Lingus from disposing of Heathrow slots should it choose to do so.