Australia’s government has introduced demand management reforms targeting “slot-hoarding” at Sydney Kingsford Smith airport to bring it in line with international standards, without altering the existing curfew or daily traffic caps.
The reforms aim to make slot allocation more competitive and efficient, benefitting new airlines, preventing slot misuse, and creating a fairer allocation system, with a focus on addressing alleged slot hoarding by major carriers Qantas and Virgin Australia.
The changes involve airlines needing to justify unused slots or face potential forfeiture, with stricter monitoring and regular audits planned.
Priority consideration will be given to local regional airlines during amended peak periods, and there will be a slight increase in hourly traffic movements following severe weather events, with Sydney Airport supporting the reforms for enhancing efficiency, competition, and passenger experience.
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said “these changes will promote competition and efficiency by ensuring landing slots are used as they are intended. Sydney Airport is the biggest hub in Australia’s aviation network, so when we get disrupted the whole system is severely impacted.”
