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More than nine in 10 allocated slots at Sydney Airport were used over the northern winter season, according to slot manager ACL.
The six months to 28 March saw 90 per cent of allocated slots flown, with a further five per cent unable to be used due to circumstances beyond the airlines’ control such as weather and the Middle East conflict, the slot manager said in its full season report.
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“The number of operated flights were in some cases heavily impacted by the US-Israel war with Iran through March, when airspace across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries closed due to the conflict,” ACL said in a statement.
“In such cases, impacted airlines – notably Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Qantas and Virgin – were given slot usage dispensation, allowing them to retain the unused slots for next season.”
Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar – the biggest users of the airport – operated almost all their slots for the season, keeping their rights for the northern winter 2026, which begins in October.
“Airlines that consistently breached the 80:20 ‘use it or lose it’ rule during the period, without a valid reason, lost the automatic right to that slot in NW26,” said ACL.
“Most airlines operated the vast majority of their slots and had retention rates of more than 95 per cent. At the other end of the spectrum, Tianjin Airlines retained just 33 per cent of its slots, Hong Kong Airlines 71 per cent, and China Eastern Airlines 76 per cent.”
More than 25 per cent of operated flights missed their slots, most of which were late, with the “major reason” being delays from previous sectors.
“International flights were more likely to be on time with 83 per cent of flights landing or taking off within their allocated slot window, while domestic on slot movements were 72 per cent,” said ACL.
According to Darren Batty, coordination manager for Asia Pacific at ACL, airports “need confidence that every available movement is being used effectively”.
ACL’s approach delivers strong utilisation and operational performance while preserving capacity for future growth – a key priority for airports across Australia,” he said.
“At Sydney, we continuously refine how slots are used – aligning schedules, clearing waitlists and responding to operational changes in collaboration with airlines, Sydney Airport and Airservices Australia to deliver strong utilisation and ensure the system remains responsive to demand so that there’s still available capacity for airline expansion.”
ACL took over the management of Sydney Airport’s slots in April last year.
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