‘Categorically’ no slot hoarding, insists Qantas

Qantas has “categorically” denied accusations of slot hoarding before a parliamentary inquiry. In a hearing by the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport on Tuesday, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie noted the Flying Kangaroo’s dominance over slots at Sydney Airport and accused the group of “gaming the system”. As reported by the Australian Financial Review, in figures from the middle of 2024, for the morning peak – 6am to 11am on weekdays – Qantas held 103 take-off slots, with Virgin holding 57 and Rex only seven. “It’s been part of your business plan to game that system, and you’ve been very successful at it, because you are the gorilla in the room,” said McKenzie. “You use that power to your advantage. That’s what we’re seeking to change here.” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson, however, pushed back forcefully on the accusations, insisting that Qantas intends to use every slot it applies for. “We only apply for the slots that we know we will operate, that we intend to operate. Yes, there are disruptions on the day, there are cancellations due to weather, engineering or whatever reason it might be,” he said. “I categorically deny that we slot hoard or trying to play any games here. We do use our slots, we intend to use them … and that’s why we have so many of them.”<br/>