Changes needed at SYD

SYDNEY Airport Chief Executive Officer Geoff Culbert has called for changes to Governmentmandated operational caps, saying the restrictions are beginning to have an impact on productivity.

Speaking to Travel Daily on Thu at the launch of Malindo Air’s Sydney to Kuala Lumpur service (TD Fri), Culbert said he wanted to begin discussions about changes.

“We want to have a conversation about it,” he said.

“The regulations were introduced in the late 1990s when we were doing 20 million passengers a year; we now have close to 45 million passengers a year, and the operating restrictions are starting to have an impact on efficiency.

“When we have delays, that means people have flights cancelled, they’re forced into overnight stays, the impact of this on the broader economy is negative.”

Despite the challenges for an Airport mired in a high-density area, Culbert noted the changes that could be made.

“We’re conscious of our stakeholders, and our neighbours, but what we’re really looking for more than anything else is flexibility.

“If we had a daily cap rather than 15-minute cap it would really be able to help us clear out our backlog, get people home, get people to their business meetings and avoid overnight stays, so we think it’s worthwhile having a conversation around that,” he explained.

In the spirit of the evening, Culbert also praised Sydney Airport’s newest tenants, Malindo Air.

“We like the route they’re flying...it’s a strong tourism route in terms of two-way travel...we think there’s going to be really strong support for this route.”