Romanian flag carrier Tarom has permanently transferred its two slots per day at London Heathrow (LHR) to Qatar Airways for an undisclosed sum, SimpleFlying announced.

However, the price must have been above GBP 20 million (EUR 23.5 mln) since BoardinPass reported last December that the Romanian airline rejected an offer for this amount. Separately, SimpleFlying mentions a very expensive daily pair of slots (yet with a better schedule than Tarom’s) sold by Air France in a similar deal to Oman Air for USD 75 mln (EUR 70 mln) in 2016. 

The deal comes into force at the beginning of the winter season on October 27.

The arrival for Tarom’s pair of slots is scheduled at 14:05 and the departure at 14:50. The schedule was not saluted by the buyer, which asked for another allocation but has to wait at least until the end of the winter season (March 29, 2025).

Qatar Airways will thus have eight daily flights (arrival plus departure) from London Heathrow to Doha (DOH).

Separately, the Qatari carrier has ten flights every week from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to DOH.

Tarom announced plans to break even this year after 16 years in the red amid 30% stronger revenues (including the LHR slot revenues but also from the sale of four Airbus aircraft ).

The company’s revenues surged by 40% y/y to RON 1.6 bln (EUR 320 mln) in 2023, when the company’s losses narrowed significantly to only EUR 20 mln.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Colicaranica/Dreamstime.com)