BANGKOK, 7 February 2020: Airports of Thailand will offer airlines a financial incentive if they provide adequate notice when cancelling flight slots at any of the six airports under its management.
AOT hopes that the measure will stop airlines holding on to airport slots until the very last moment for marketing and sales purposes.
It reports that even as airlines cancel flights due to the Novel Coronavirus, on paper, the slots are full as airlines hold them back until the last possible moment.
AOT says this prevents other airlines from taking over the slot times at airports that are running at close to full capacity.
AOT asked airlines to give a 30-day notice when they intend to cancel a flight and is ready to pay a bonus of THB200 per passenger on landing fees for departing flights. The rebates are available at six AOT airports, namely Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket International, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai.
The high density of flights especially at Suvarnabhumi Airport And Don Mueang airports makes it was critical that airlines provided adequate notice when they intended to cancel some flights.
To promote better flight schedule management and to promote tourism a bonus scheme is being offered effective from 5 February 2020 through to 26 March 2022,
It gives bonuses to airlines that file cancellations of flight schedules at least 30 days before the date of operation to encourage airlines to return unused flight schedules in advance.
AOT offers a THB200 bonus per passenger on the outbound flights with a 50% discount on landing fee for extra flights and replacement charter flights. Payment is conditional that another airline successfully takes over the cancelled slot.
AOT believes the measure will stimulate the aviation market and promote tourism while improving flight management efficiency.
