IATA suggests suspending airport slot rules immediately over Coronavirus

Rules governing airport slots should be suspended immediately in light of the disruption to flight schedules caused by coronavirus to prevent airlines being penalised, industry body IATA said on Monday.

Takeoff and landing slot rules mean airlines must fill at least 80% of their slots in any given season, or risk losing their allocation next time round.

But dozens of airlines have cancelled flights to China and cut services to other countries such as Singapore and Italy as a result of the outbreak and IATA said national regulators should relax slot requirements given these exceptional circumstances.

"We are calling for