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Australian airports are preparing for one of the busiest summer travel periods on record, with strong international and domestic demand continuing to build across the network.
This comes as the ACCC’s latest Domestic airline competition in Australia – December 2025 report confirms that passenger numbers in September and October reached their second-highest level since 2019.
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Load factors remained particularly high, averaging 84.4 per cent in October – one of the highest levels recorded since ACCC monitoring began.
The ACCC reports that the domestic aviation market is incredibly concentrated, with two airline groups holding 98.4 per cent of the market share.
Together, this highlights the increasing pressure on the aviation system as demand grows faster than capacity.
Simon Westaway, chief executive of the Australian Airports Association, said the findings reinforced the importance of ensuring ongoing funding for the airline monitoring report.
“For the integrity of the aviation industry and the consumer, it is vital the ACCC’s airline monitoring report is funded by the Commonwealth beyond December 2026 to ensure continued transparency and support a fair and efficient market as demand grows,” Westaway said.
“We’re seeing sustained growth in Australia’s aviation market, and this highlights why airports continue to invest heavily to improve capacity and the customer experience.”
Westaway said airports are stepping up to meet the growth ahead, with more than $44 billion in planned crucial infrastructure investment over the next decade.
“The coming summer is expected to be one of the busiest ever, especially at international terminals nationwide, making continued progress on border modernisation essential.
“It’s vital we see the digital expansion of the incoming passenger card fast-tracked, while also moving toward more advanced biometrics that will remove our reliance on outdated kiosks for border processing.”
Recent AAA consumer research reportedly shows strong public support for passport-less biometric processing at international airports, similar to systems used in leading global hubs such as Singapore Changi or Dubai International Airport.
