ATIA welcomes reforms on slot hoarding at Sydney Airport

The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has welcomed significant reforms announced yesterday surrounding slot management at Sydney Airport.

ATIA, which recognises the reforms as the first step towards ‘making flying fairer’ has been calling for change to the slot management system currently in place to address the high levels of flight cancellations and delays.

New systems in place include a reduction in peak periods, allowing for better utilisation of slots and enhancing operational efficiencies at Sydney Airport.

Changes are expected to facilitate increased domestic and international flights and provide more options for consumers, benefitting the overall aviation network.

Sydney Airport, Australia’s busiest, handled around 35 million passengers in the 2022-23 period. (iStock – georgeclerk)

The new reforms address the current limitations of the demand management framework and are poised to optimise the 80 aircraft movements per hour cap and will unlock unused slots, especially during previously restricted peak times, and will also provide regional NSW services with improved access.

“These reforms not only enhance the operational efficiency of our busiest airport but also support the many people and businesses in Australia’s Travel sector,’ CEO, ATIA, Deon Long, said.

ATIA CEO Dean Long. (Supplied)

“It’s a significant step towards fostering an environment that delivers tangible benefits for everyone involved in and reliant on travel in Australia.”“We all know that passengers bear what are often significant out-of-pocket costs and lose valuable time due to cancellations.

“The opportunity cost for delayed passengers is usually significant, particularly for business travellers. Cancellations also lead to seats being withdrawn from the market, which raises airfares for those yet to book a flight.”“There are also massive knock-on effects to travel professionals as a result of cancellations.”“Today’s reforms are the first step towards fairer flying, and we thank the Federal Government for these common-sense improvements.”“ATIA will continue to call for action on the 80-20 rule, which is outdated and needs to go. Under the rule, airlines can keep a specific timeslot as long as they don’t cancel more than 20 per cent of flights in that slot over the year.”

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ATIA Dean Long Slot Hoarding sydney airport