History
With the onset of congestion during some periods of the day at a few major airports in the early 1960s, the scope of schedule discussions amongst the airlines was broadened to cover the adjustments needed to reduce anticipated delays to an acceptable level. Where services planned during certain periods at an airport exceeded what the airport could accommodate without unacceptable delays, some services would have to be moved, usually with some economic penalty.
This induced IATA (International Air Transport Association) to establish coordination offices at such airports, usually embedded within the organisation of the national airline. Over the years, a consensus developed as to which services should be moved, in fairness to all planning to operate during the period. The recommended procedures and priorities for such schedule adjustments have continued to evolve since the first publication in 1976 and are now contained in the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) that is published jointly by IATA, Airports Council International (ACI) and the Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group (WWACG).
The Nordic Coordination Bodies
The Nordic coordination bodies were established in the period 1995–1998, based on EU Council Regulation (EEC) 95/93, which mandated that within the European Union airports and schedule coordinations shall be established and operated as independent entities acting according to the regulation, which came into force in 1993.
The WASG also recommends the independence of the coordinator.
The Four Coordinators
The four Nordic coordinators — Airport Coordination Denmark (ACD), Airport Coordination Finland (ACF), Airport Coordination Norway (ACN), and Airport Coordination Sweden (ACS) — collectively form the Nordic Airport Coordination. Together they cover the territories of Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, Svalbard and Sweden.
Each coordinator operates independently, acting in a neutral and non-discriminatory manner, applying applicable EU and national regulations, EUACA guidelines and the WASG.
Regulatory Framework
- EU Regulation 95/93 (as amended) — the legal basis for slot coordination within the European Union
- National civil aviation legislation in each territory
- Local rules as agreed by the local Slot Coordination Committees
- EUACA Guidelines - agreed by the association of European Airport Slot Coordinators
- Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) — the global standard for slot allocation procedures