Concluding Remarks This chapter explored whether multiple concepts related to slot coordination offer scope for finding solutions for the specific issues experienced at super-congested airports relating to this dissertation’s research questions, primarily in the field of reflecting the public value associated with slots in coordination decisions and safeguarding airport access for the purposes of a competitive air transport market safeguarded by EU Regulation 1008/2008. The concepts discussed include the debate on who holds the legal title to a slot, the functionally and financially independent coordinator, the application of the new entrant rule, the implementation of a secondary market for slots and the relationship between the allocation of slots and competition law. In my view, slots are allocated to airlines as entitlements to use available infrastructure, subject to conditions such as utilization thresholds or allocation criteria. Indeed, they represent relevant operational, economic, legal and social interests and functions.1342 Inter alia, according to the Commission, slots are “critical inputs” for any entrant wishing to operate or expand services.1343 Although airlines, airports and governments alike have claimed they should be regarded as the legal owners of slots,1344 they cannot, in my view, be identified as property rights. At super-congested airports in particular, slots are valuable concepts to society at large as they safeguard public functions such as connectivity and airport access, as discussed in Chapter 2, sections 2.3 and 2.4. Accordingly, Chapter 6 recommends that the coordinator should ensure that scarce slots are declared, allocated and used in a way that is reflective of these public functions. Solving the debate on slot ownership by clarifying that slots are essentially public goods could contribute to making this recommendation work. Furthermore, a future slot regime should be cognizant of the shifted role of the coordinator from performing merely technical functions to that of a policymaker, so to say. At super-congested airports, slot allocation ultimately comes down to making decisions which airlines can and cannot operate to and from an airport.1345 With slot scarcity levels and the risk of judicial reviews of allocation decisions rising, coordinators play an increasingly important role in the correct application of the slot allocation rules. After all, airlines are all in the same ‘game’ for the last available slot pair and the coordinator continuously has to make trade-offs between competing slot requests. Though the coordinator has been delegated public functions, by no means was the slot coordinator intended to perform the task of policy making. Arguably, the coordinator has been handed a role it was never intended to perform.1346 In a constrained environment where the overall number of slots is largely fixed and there is no outlook for capacity increases, the possibilities for airlines to start or expand services requires incumbent airlines to exit or downscale their services at a particular airport.1347 Given the high value of slots at super-congested airports, it is unlikely that airlines will simply hand back the slots they hold to the coordinator, even in times of economic downturn. Instead, they may capitalize the slots they hold to pay off creditors in case of a bankruptcy or insolvency, or they may engage in slot transfers or lease agreements, as discussed in sections 5.3 and 5.6 above. Hence, airport access becomes foreclosed in its entirety to airlines wanting to expand or 1342 See European Commission, supra note 54, paragraph 11. 1343 See Case M.3770 – Lufthansa/Swiss, supra note 274, paragraph 27. 1344 See Abeyratne, supra note 55, at 36; ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, supra note 63, at 2-2. 1345 See ICAO, supra note 256. 1346 See ▇▇▇▇▇▇ et al., supra note 18, at 9. 1347 See ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇(II), supra note 113, at 111. start operations at super-congested airports with no slots freely available, or at peak times at other congested airports.
Termination of the Trust or Any Series or Class (a) Unless terminated as provided herein, the Trust shall continue without limitation of time. The Trust may be dissolved at any time by the Trustees (without Shareholder approval). Any Series of Shares may be dissolved at any time by the Trustees (without Shareholder approval). Any Class may be terminated at any time by the Trustees (without Shareholder approval). Any action to dissolve the Trust shall be deemed to also be an action to dissolve each Series, and to terminate each Class.
(b) In accordance with Section 3808 of the Delaware Act, upon the requisite action by the Trustees to dissolve the Trust or any one or more Series of Shares, after paying or otherwise providing for all charges, taxes, expenses and liabilities, whether due or accrued or anticipated, of the Trust or of the particular Series as may be determined by the Trustees, the Trust shall in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees consider appropriate reduce the remaining assets of the Trust or of the affected Series to distributable form in cash or Shares (if any Series remain) or other securities, or any combination thereof, and distribute the proceeds to the Shareholders of the Trust or any applicable Series, ratably according to the number of Shares of the Trust or such Series held by the several Shareholders of the Trust or such Series on the date of distribution. Thereupon, the Trust and/or any affected Series shall terminate and the Trustees and the Trust shall be discharged of any and all further liabilities and duties relating thereto or arising therefrom, and the right, title and interest of all parties with respect to the Trust and/or such Series shall be canceled and discharged. Upon the requisite action by the Trustees to terminate any Class, the Trustees may, to the extent they deem it appropriate, follow the procedures set forth in this Section 8.2(b) with respect to such Class that are specified in connection with the dissolution and winding up of the Trust or any Series of Shares. Alternatively, in connection with the termination of any Class, the Trustees may treat such termination as a redemption of the Shareholders of such Class effected pursuant to Section 6.2(c) of this Declaration of Trust provided that the costs relating to the termination of such Class shall be included in the determination of the net asset value of the Shares of such Class for purposes of determining the redemption price to be paid to the Shareholders of such Class (to the extent not otherwise included in such determination). In connection with the dissolution and liquidation of the Trust or any Series and in connection with the termination of any Class, the Trustees may provide for the establishment of a liquidating trust or similar vehicle.
(c) Following completion of winding up of the Trust’s business, the Trustees shall cause a certificate of cancellation of the Trust’s Certificate of Trust to be filed in accordance with the Delaware Act, which certificate of cancellation may be signed by any one Trustee. Upon the filing of such certificate of cancellation, the Trust shall terminate, the Trustees shall be discharged of any and all further liabilities and duties relating thereto or arising therefrom, and the right, title and interest of all parties with respect to the Trust shall be canceled and discharged.