Airservices Australia has released its Australian Aviation Network Overview report for October 2025.
Highlights include:
- Australian aviation recorded another strong month in October, supported by major events such as the National Rugby League (NRL) Grand Final and school holidays early in the month. International travel has sustained 9% year-on-year growth, and this momentum is expected to be maintained, supported by regional trade cooperation reinforced at the recent APEC Summit. Fleet renewal is enabling greater capacity on busy domestic routes and first-ever international services from secondary airports, such as the Bali-Newcastle route with A321LR aircraft.
- This growth is being balanced with community and sustainability initiatives, including enhanced engagement and transparent reporting of Noise Abatement Procedures across nine metropolitan cities.
- Industry on-time performance remains above 2024 levels, despite weather challenges including strong crosswinds experienced at Sydney on five days. Enhanced collaborative practices from senior-level network coordination representatives in Airservices, airlines, airports and the Bureau of Meteorology are now embedded in daily operations. Passenger-centric application of Ground Delay Programs (GDPs) and proactive scenario-planning during peak demand and capacity constrained periods has resulted in a 20% reduction in ground delays year-on-yearin October.
- With Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM)now operational at three of Australia’s busiest airports,we are seeing improved network predictability and delay reduction. Since implementation, Perth’s daily departure delays have fallen by over 85%, Brisbane’s on-time performance improved by nine points, and Sydney saw smoother traffic flows during constrained operations.
- Air traffic service variations have reduced by 95% this month compared to October last year, reflecting sustained investment in recruitment and training. Sydney experienced staffing challenges on four days accounting for 0.3% of total delays at the airport, with Airservices impacts ranging from a fully attributable GDP on 15 October to minor ground delays. To close resilience gaps, accelerated cross-training of air traffic controllers for priority locations such as Sydney remains a key focus. Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting service availability remains high, ensuring rapid and reliable emergency response across the country.
About Airservices
Airservices Australia is a government-owned organisation responsible for safely and efficiently managing air traffic in 11 per cent of the world’s airspace, as well as the provision of aviation rescue fire fighting services at Australia’s busiest airports. We are regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and work closely with our customers and industry to support the long-term growth of the aviation industry.
