ACL CEO Neil Garwood.
Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) is preparing to take the reins as the new slot manager for Sydney Airport (SYD) starting April 1, a major development for Australia’s largest airport and a strategic win for the UK-headquartered business as it expands its Asia-Pacific footprint.
As reported by Aviation Week, the appointment follows a competitive process run by Australia’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and ends the longstanding involvement of Airport Coordination Australia, a body majority owned by Qantas and Virgin Australia. The move is part of a wider regulatory overhaul aimed at enhancing transparency and competitive access to scarce airport capacity.
ACL’s arrival coincides with reforms to Sydney’s slot management system outlined in late 2024. The Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Bill introduces tougher compliance rules, including civil penalties for slot misuse and new data transparency requirements. Airlines will be mandated to report slot usage, and ACL will be tasked with regularly publishing slot utilization data to give airlines and regulators greater oversight.
“We’re currently talking to and meeting with all the various companies that make up the airport community, understanding their points of view and aspirations, and setting out our transition and work plans for the next few months,” ACL CEO Neil Garwood told Routes at Routes Asia 2025, taking place in Perth, Australia. “One of our early priorities is to step up the level of data reporting, so that people can see the slots situation and the utilization, and this will include a real-time schedule update service, so the airport and airlines have maximum visibility.”
Garwood said the increased transparency gives all stakeholders clear visibility and strengthens confidence in the process.
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The new contract also signals ACL’s intent to strengthen its position across the Asia-Pacific. In addition to its London, Dubai and Auckland offices, the company will now establish a permanent base in Sydney to support operations and pursue further regional opportunities.
Garwood said that more airports in the region are moving toward Level 3 slot coordination as demand outpaces capacity. He emphasized that slot management alone cannot solve demand-side issues but plays a key role in maximizing available infrastructure.
“What we can do is make best use of the capacity that is available, and this becomes more challenging as airport constraints become more acute,” he said. “Therefore, collaboration is so important, working closely with airlines to refine their schedules and improve performance, and with airports to develop and declare sufficient capacity as it becomes available, or to project future operating parameters so capacity teams can see the effect.”
ACL is also investing in system upgrades, including tools to model and monitor terminal infrastructure like check-in counters and baggage reclaim areas. Garwood stressed that with growing airspace constraints in parts of Asia-Pacific, a coordinated approach to both ground and air capacity planning is essential.
Looking ahead, Garwood said ACL expects the slot management framework to evolve over the next decade, shaped by regulatory reforms, new technology and environmental considerations.
“Regulatory change will occur in the coming years, as it has already in Australia,” he added. “Elsewhere we have seen some proposals around placing time limits on slots’ historic rights, or allocating slots by auction, which would represent seismic changes to a rule set that has developed progressively over the past few decades.
“What we don’t think should change is the dedicated service that slot coordinators like ACL afford to the world’s airports and airlines, and our focus on getting the best outcomes from constrained infrastructure and airline schedules to the benefit of consumers everywhere.”
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