Australian travel professionals laud Federal Government’s reforms to Sydney Airport slot management

The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) welcomed the Federal Government’s recent announcement regarding reforms to slot management at Sydney Airport.

Travel professionals in the country see the move as a positive step towards strengthening competition within the Australian aviation sector.

ATIA chief executive Dean Long said of the government’s action: “The reforms announced today by the Federal Government are a common-sense approach to improve competition in our aviation sector. 

“By opening up the process to appoint a new Slot Manager through a competitive tender, we are moving towards a more transparent and fair system that will benefit all airlines and, ultimately, consumers.”

Working in the name of fairness and transparency

At present, a joint venture between Qantas and Virgin allocates slots in and out of the country’s largest international gateway. 

Indeed, observers note that this essentially locks up part of the slot pool, posing challenges for those seeking to gain a foothold in the market.

The Australian travel sector has long criticised this practise at Sydney Airport, citing the lack of fairness and transparency.

The reforms announced by the Federal Government include a more competitive tender process for the appointment of a new slot manager at Sydney Airport.

This and other proposed measures stand to increase fairness and transparency in slot management, addressing one of the critical issues that have hampered competition at Australia’s busiest airport.

Fighting for a more competitive aviation industry

Effective aviation competition in Australia is a significant issue that ATIA has long been advocating for. 

It is vitally important that public-policy settings support a level playing field regarding access to infrastructure and route opportunities. 

The 80-20 rule, which allows airlines to retain slots as long as they don’t cancel more than 20 percent of flights in a given slot over the year, is outdated and needs to be reformed to further enhance competition.