Australian Government launches tender for slot management reform at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

Australia's Government released (05-Aug-2024) a competitive tender for prospective slot managers to demonstrate how they plan to deliver on reforms to the slot system at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. As previously reported by CAPA, the Government announced a major package of reforms to the demand management scheme at the airport in Feb-2024, following recommendations from the Harris Review of the system as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The competitive process will require prospective tenderers to demonstrate how they plan to manage and mitigate conflicts of interest in a transparent way. Once appointed, they will be required to comply with a statement of expectations including governance and transparency requirements. The Government stated it has "already implemented a number" of commitments associated with the reforms, including an independent audit of slot usage and reestablishing the Compliance Committee for Sydney Airport which manages compliance with the slot regime. The reforms will be finalised in forthcoming legislation. [more - original PR]