An airport slot is an air traffic control resource that is used by aircraft to fly into or out of an airport. The air traffic control system uses a priority system to allocate slots to aircraft.
Aircraft with the highest priority are given the first available slot, and aircraft with the Lowest priority are given the last available slot. .
The priority of an aircraft can be determined by its type, weight, and destination. For example, commercial airlines have a higher priority than general aviation aircraft.
Most airports have a certain number of slots that are reserved for each type of aircraft. If there are not enough slots available for a particular type of aircraft, then that type of aircraft will be given a “slot wait” designation.
Some airports have additional slots that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. These slots are usually reserved for emergency or special circumstances.
The air traffic control system will usually give precedence to flights that are headed to or from major airports.
The air traffic control system will also give preference to flights that have status updates, such as flight arrivals and departures. This is because the air traffic control system wants to know what is happening in the airspace so that it can plan for future flights.
