The government issued new rules on the use of runway slots at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in a bid to ease traffic congestion.
Under the joint memorandum circular issued by Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Manila International Airport and Civil Aeronautics Board, an airline can only operate a service that has a corresponding time slot, otherwise the airline will be ordered by Air Coordination Australia to stop operating that service.
Sydney-based ACA was tasked to handle airlines schedules at Naia.
“If it persists to operate without slots, the matter will be brought to the attention of the Timeslot Committee for appropriate regulatory action,” the joint circular said.
Members of the committee are CAAP, MIAA and ACA.
The circular further said an airline should operate a service only on its approved time slot.
“An airline operating a service at at significantly different time, or intentionally utilizing the same in a significantly different way from that for which it was allocated by the coordinator shall be deemed to have misused the same,” it said.
An example of a misuse of time slot is when an airline secures a non-peak timeslot and then retimes and flies it during the peak period, according to the circular.
“An airline that does not fly on the time slot allocated by the coordinator shall be re-accommodated to another period or time block that has an open time slot, and shall not be squeezed into any succeeding period or time block, if such would result in the aircraft movements for the period or time block exceeding the set limit,” the circular said.