News
Australian government initiates transparency overhaul of airport slot usage
February 22nd 2024
On February 21, Australia’s minister for transport, Catherine King, announced a transparency overhaul intended to prevent carriers from slot hoarding. Read More » Starting this year, airlines must regularly report slot usage, including reasons for cancellations or major delays. The data will be made public by the department. King said independent audits of slots will be undertaken to clamp down on poor behavior and provide greater oversight to travelers. Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia said they welcomed the new reporting regime. In the past, smaller airlines have accused the two carriers of slot hoarding practices at Sydney Airport. To mitigate the impact of disruptions, the government has introduced a temporary “recovery period” that allows Sydney Airport to schedule up to 85 movements per hour for two hours after a disruption in departure from its current tight movement cap of 80 movements per hour regardless of any disruptions.
