Slot Management at Sydney Airport

The Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997 was enacted on 17 November 1997. The Act enshrines a cap of 80 hourly movements and establishes a framework for a slot management scheme.

Detailed slot management and compliance schemes were tabled in Federal Parliament in March 1998 and June 1998 respectively. The Slot Management Scheme came into effect for the scheduling season beginning 29 March 1998. The Compliance Scheme came into effect on 25 October 1998.

What is a slot?

A slot allocated under the Scheme permits a specified aircraft movement at a specified time, on a specified day. All commercial and private aircraft require a 'slot' to land or take-off at Sydney Airport (Kingsford Smith Airport).

Why have a Slot Management Scheme?

The slot system, in tandem with the runway hourly cap, through legislation provides a clear long term guide to airlines and airport planners. It also ensures that the peak hour movements can be managed in a non-discriminatory and efficient manner.
Without a planning mechanism for runway movements at the airport, congestion would increase, imposing a significant cost on airline operators (e.g. increased holding patterns), airline passengers (e.g. delayed arrival or departure), the airport operator (e.g. inefficient use of the infrastructure) and the community.
As most interstate operations link through KSA, the efficiency dividend from improved planning techniques at KSA has flow-on network benefits for other Australian airports.
The Slot Management Scheme is delivering for Sydney Airport:
- less clustering of flights in airline's schedules;
- greater predictability for investment;
- fewer delays and as a consequence fewer delays at other airports;
- reduced time spent by Airservices Australia rescheduling airlines thereby increasing resources available for core responsibilities;
- guaranteed access for NSW regional communities;
- less fuel waste leading to savings in costs and reduced emissions; and
- airlines rescheduling movements to improve the balance of arrivals and departures at certain peak times.
The Department oversees administration of the Scheme, which allows airport management and the airlines to take ownership of the problem of slot management, and the solutions. The Department chairs the Compliance Committee that assesses breaches of the slot scheme.
Day to day administration of the Slot Scheme is undertaken by Airport Co-ordination Australia (ACA). Guidance on the criteria for obtaining a slot should be sought from ACA as soon as a requirement for a slot is known.

Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Act 2008

The primary purpose of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Act is to clarify the operation of the slot management regime. It also allows resolution of the administrative issues identified by the Australian National Audit Office's report into the implementation of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997, tabled in March 2007. Practically, it provides for a slot management approach that is consistent with international practice, and a slot based on the scheduled arrival and departure time of an aircraft at the gate. There is no change to the maximum movement limit, which will continue to be a measure of aircraft movements, on and off the runway.

The Act received Royal Assent on 12 July 2008. The amendments commenced on 12 January 2009.

Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Regulations 2009

The primary purpose of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Regulations is to update the provisions to allow resolution of the administrative issues identified by the Australian National Audit Offices report into the Implementation of the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997 tabled in March 2007.

The amendments make the regulations consistent with the Sydney Airport Demand Management Act 1997 as amended in 2008; provide the Commonwealth with appropriate access to the records of the Slot Manager; provide for the transfer of records to a new Slot Manager or the Department; facilitate the gathering of movement data at Sydney Airport; require the Slot Manager to report to the Department on slot allocations and actual slot use; and confer additional functions on the Slot Manager to collect information about gate movements, monitor gate movements against slot allocations and provide compliance information.

The amendments commenced on 4 May 2009.

Resources

Further Information

For further information please contact the Airports Branch:
Ph (02) 6274 6541, email: regulation@infrastructure.gov.au