On behalf of the Airservices Board, I present Airservices’ 2023–24 Annual Performance Statement, prepared in accordance with section 39(1)(a) of the Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act). It is our opinion that the statement accurately presents Airservices’ performance in the reporting period and complies with subsection 39(2) of the PGPA Act.
John Weber
Airservices Australia Board Chair
Our performance
This section provides a detailed assessment of our 2023–24 performance against our key performance indicators (KPIs) and initiatives across our performance areas.
Performance summary
During the year we achieved 17 of our 25 key performance indicators (68%), including our key operational safety and environment metrics, along with the majority of our service performance metrics.
While we did not achieve the overall level of performance we strived for during the year, our efforts to prioritise safety and service performance ensured we maintained our ‘safe always’ focus across our air traffic management and ARFF services.
Factors influencing performance and key achievements include:
- We regard safety as our highest priority as required by our Act. There were no significant attributable safety occurrences recorded.
- Traffic volatility continued to shape our industry. We saw significant growth in international traffic particularly from China contrasted by operations suspending for Air Vanuatu, Bonza and Rex Airlines jet operations.
- We are engaged with our customers and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the need for a modest price increase in the national interest.
- During the year we reset our focus to prioritise service performance, including organisational change, while negotiating 3 enterprise agreements (Corporate, ATC and ARFF services).
- Adverse weather impacted our operations. Following Tropical Cyclone Jasper in December, our Cairns ARFF operations has been negatively impacted by the effects of major flooding, operating in a limited capacity and resulting in service variations to industry.
- Throughout the year we targeted improved levels of injury reporting and access to early intervention treatment programs. This reflects a positive reporting culture and is likely to be a contributing factor to the elevated injury rates experienced.
- The increasing traffic combined with concerns about the flightpath associated with Brisbane Airport made up a significant portion of monthly complainants. We have continued to proactively engage the Brisbane community, progressing with our Noise Action Plan for Brisbane.
Summary of performance areas
| Performance area | Key performance indicators | 2023–24 Target1 | 2023–24 Actual | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Significant attributable safety occurrences | Significant attributable safety occurrences | 0 | 0 | Met |
| Planned aerodrome capacity | Planned capacity delivered as percentage of time² | >82% | 83% | Met |
| Sydney | >78% | 81% | Met | |
| Melbourne | >79% | 79% | Met | |
| Perth | >82% | 83% | Met | |
| Brisbane | >93% | 89% | Not Met | |
| Airservices attributable cancellations – Top 4 airports² | <24 | 14 | Met | |
| Sydney | <17 | 9 | Met | |
| Melbourne | 0 | 0 | Met | |
| Perth | <1 | 1 | Met | |
| Brisbane | <6 | 4 | Met | |
| Airservices attributable ground delay (hours) – Top 4 airports² | <109 | 67 | Met | |
| Sydney | <70 | 36 | Met | |
| Melbourne | 0 | 1 | Not Met | |
| Perth | <1 | 7 | Not Met | |
| Brisbane | <38 | 23 | Met | |
| Reduction in Cost to Serve | Real price growth (5-year trend) | <0% | <0% | Met |
| Return on assets | > −7.0% | −8.1% | Not Met | |
| People engagement | People engagement | 70 | 59 | Not Met |
| Fostering the drive towards zero harm | Total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR) | <10 | 10.4 | Not Met |
| Lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) | <4 | 5.0 | Not Met | |
| Net zero emissions by 2050 | Net carbon emissions | <221,746tCO2e | 150,596tCO2e³ | Met |
| Significant environmental events | 0 | 0 | Met | |
| Community acceptance of the value of aviation | Total annual change in movements vs complainants | To reduce number of complainants relative to movements | 2.7% increase in movements, 4.1% increase in complainants | Not Met |
| Aircraft Noise Ombudsman complaints investigations initiated | To reduce number of complaints investigated | 22% decrease in ANO complaints | Met |
- Source: Airservices 2023–24 Corporate Plan, page 21.
- Monthly average result
- The 2022–23 result is the latest available at the time of publication. These emissions do not include those of the aviation industry resulting from adjustments and efficiencies in flightpath design, or operational changes of Airservices. The result for the 2023–24 period will be available in late 2024.
