The Portuguese Government has completed the process of reviewing the framework for the provision of slots at national airports.
The new diploma (Decree-Law 7/2020, of 3 March) puts an end to a long process, which in the meantime led to the condemnation of the Portuguese State by the European Court of Justice, by naming NAV Portugal, EPE, as the coordinating entity of the process slot allocation. In the revision carried out, a set of provisions were also removed from the legal diploma that gave ANAC (the regulator) the power to intervene in the slot allocation process and the possibility of reserving slots for air services to the islands (Madeira and Azores), which were subject to criticism on the part of airlines due to potential distortions of competition.
The amended regime comes into force on 4 March of 2020.
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