Airservices Australia has released its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for August 2024.
Highlights include:
- In August 2024, the Australian aviation network recorded a slight reduction (0.5 per cent) in daily average flights following the July school holiday period and Paris Olympic Games.
- While traffic demand has remained strong, economic uncertainties in Australia and globally present risks to the growth of our sector. In navigating this environment, the release of the Aviation White Paper underscores the need for transparency and cross-industry collaboration which are more crucial than ever to enhance outcomes for the travelling public and the communities impacted by aviation.
- Overall industry on-time performance (OTP) in Australia declined in July 2024 after peaking in April. As noted in the July report, this was mainly due to the CrowdStrike outage and adverse weather conditions which heavily affected Sydney. We expect OTP to improve again, based on lead indicators such as first-rotation performance.
- August saw the lowest application of the Ground Delay Program (GDP) without adversely impacting airborne delays since January 2023, demonstrating our focus on continually refining network decisions to minimise delay outcomes. However, GDP compliance remained below historical benchmarks and active industry engagement is underway to improve network predictability.
- Air traffic service outcomes continue to improve with a 60 per cent reduction in airspace service variations in 2024 to date, compared to the same period last year.
- There were no Airservices-attributable ground delays at Brisbane and Perth in August.
- Our Sydney operations, underpinning overall Australian network efficiency, require greater resilience. Extensive recruitment and training of additional air traffic controllers has been in progress since early 2023, with further cross-training, rostering improvement and customer-focused operational decision-making among the measures Airservices is undertaking to deliver more consistent performance for our customers.
About Airservices
Airservices Australia is the Federal Government-owned organisation responsible for the safety of 11 per cent of the world’s airspace and the provision of aviation rescue fire fighting services at Australia’s busiest airports. We work closely with our customers and industry to support the long-term growth of the aviation industry and are investing in technologies to position Australia at the forefront of innovation in the global aviation industry.
