Title page 1

Contents 3

Glossary and abbreviations 5

Key insights 8

Key results graphic 9

Tables of key results 10

Executive summary 12

1. Introduction 15

1.1. The ACCC's monitoring role 15

1.2. The structure of this report 16

2. Industry activity and developments 17

2.1. International services continue to drive passenger number growth 18

2.1.1. Domestic and international passenger numbers 19

2.2. Major airports have commenced substantial investment programs for the next decade 21

2.2.1. Overview of the proposed major projects 21

2.2.2. Investment pipeline will likely result in higher airport charges and airfares 23

2.3. Western Sydney International Airport developments 24

2.4. Further progress on the government's Aviation White Paper initiatives 24

2.4.1. Aviation consumer protection framework (Initiatives 1 and 2) 24

2.4.2. Reforms to the Sydney Airport demand management scheme (Initiative 11) 25

2.4.3. Revisions to the Aeronautical Pricing Principles (Initiative 12) 25

2.4.4. Enhanced airport monitoring (Initiative 15) 25

3. Total airport operations including quality of service 27

3.1. All 4 airports collected record revenues across total airport operations 27

3.2. Airports generate about half of their total revenues from aeronautical operations 28

3.3. Total airport expenses increased for all airports 29

3.4. The airports collectively earned a record profit of $2.8b across total operations 30

3.5. Brisbane Airport has fallen behind other airports for quality of service 32

3.5.1. Overall quality of service and facilities 33

3.5.2. Quality of service and facilities ratings by passengers 34

3.5.3. Quality of service and facilities ratings by airlines 37

3.5.4. Objective indicators 39

4. Aeronautical services 40

4.1. Overview 41

4.2. Each airport reported record levels of aeronautical revenue 41

4.2.1. Aeronautical revenue 41

4.2.2. Aeronautical revenues per passenger 43

4.3. Aeronautical expenses 44

4.3.1. Aeronautical expenses per passenger 45

4.4. Sydney Airport made the same aeronautical profits as the other airports combined 46

4.4.1. Aeronautical profit per passenger 47

4.5. Aeronautical profit margins rose for Perth, remained steady for other airports 48

4.6. Sydney Airport posted a record high return on aeronautical assets 48

4.7. Melbourne Airport once again led the other airports in aeronautical investment 50

4.7.1. Aeronautical investment at Melbourne Airport 50

4.7.2. Aeronautical investment at Brisbane Airport 51

4.7.3. Aeronautical investment at Sydney Airport 51

4.7.4. Aeronautical investment at Perth Airport 52

5. Car parking 53

5.1. Car parking throughput increased at Perth and Sydney airports 54

5.1.1. Car parking activity 54

5.1.2. Melbourne Airport continues to report the highest car parking revenue 56

5.2. Car parking operating expenses increased at Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth airports 57

5.3. Brisbane Airport reported the highest operating profit and profit margin 57

5.3.1. Car parking operating margins 58

5.4. Car parking prices 60

5.4.1. Short-term car parking near the terminals 62

5.4.2. Long-term car parking at distance from the terminals 63

5.5. Investment in car parking facilities 67

5.6. Quality of car parking services and facilities 68

5.6.1. Passenger ratings 68

6. Landside transport access 69

6.1. Paid landside access continued to grow for Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney 70

6.2. Rideshare companies became the biggest contributor to landside access revenues 71

6.3. Landside investments 73

6.4. Quality of landside transport access services and facilities ratings varied for the 4 airports 73

6.4.1. Passenger ratings 73

6.4.2. Landside objective indicators 74

Appendix. Background and methodology 76

A. Aeronautical measures 76

B. Quality of service ratings 78

C. Monitoring landside transport access operations 79

Tables 18

Table 2.1. Passenger numbers for 2024-25, and change from previous financial year 18

Table 3.1. Contributions by business segments to total airport revenue, by airport, 2024-25 29

Table 3.2. Real total operating profit, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 30

Table 3.3. Converting average quality of service scores into ratings 33

Table 4.1. Real aeronautical operating revenues, expenses, operating profits and operating profit margins, 2024-25 41

Table 4.2. Comparison of real aeronautical revenues, 2023-24 and 2024-25 42

Table 4.3. Changes in real aeronautical revenues, expenses, profits, and passenger numbers, 2023-24 to 2024-25 47

Table 5.1. Car parking activity 55

Table 5.2. Real car parking operating expenses, 2023-24 and 2024-25 57

Table 5.3. Real car parking operating profit margin, 2023-24 and 2024-25 58

Table 5.4. Key car parking indicators for 2024-25 59

Table 5.5. Changes in key car parking indicators from 2023-24 to 2024-25 60

Table 5.6. Real drive-up prices for short-term at-terminal parking, by airport, between 30 June 2021 to 30 June 2025 62

Table 5.7. Real online prices for long-term at-distance parking, between 30 June 2021 and 30 June 2025 63

Table 5.8. Prices for at-distance, long term car parking facilities at independent and airport car parks - Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth: June 2025 66

Table 6.1. Growth in total landside vehicle numbers since 2023-24 70

Table 6.2/Table 6.3. Passenger ratings on taxi waiting times, by airport and terminal, 2022-23 to 2024-25 74

Figures 19

Figure 2.1. Total passenger numbers by airport, 2015-16 to 2024-25 19

Figure 2.2. Domestic passenger numbers by airport, 2015-16 to 2024-25 19

Figure 2.3. International passenger numbers by airport, 2015-16 to 2024-25 20

Figure 3.1. Real total airport revenue, 2015-16 to 2024-25 28

Figure 3.2. Real total airport expenses, 2015-16 to 2024-25 30

Figure 3.3. Real total airport operating profit, 2015-16 to 2024-25 31

Figure 3.4. Real total airport operating profit margin, 2015-16 to 2024-25 32

Figure 3.5. Overall quality of service and facilities rating, 2015-16 to 2024-25 34

Figure 3.6. Average passenger ratings of quality, 2015-16 to 2024-25 36

Figure 3.7. Average airline ratings of quality of service and facilities, 2015-16 to 2024-25 38

Figure 4.1. Real aeronautical revenue, 2015-16 to 2024-25 42

Figure 4.2. Real aeronautical revenue per passenger, 2015-16 to 2024-25 43

Figure 4.3. Real aeronautical expenses, 2015-16 to 2024-25 44

Figure 4.4. Real aeronautical expenses per passenger, 2015-16 to 2024-25 45

Figure 4.5. Real aeronautical operating profit, 2015-16 to 2024-25 46

Figure 4.6. Aeronautical operating profit per passenger, 2015-16 to 2024-25 47

Figure 4.7. Aeronautical operating profit margins, 2015-16 to 2024-25 48

Figure 4.8. Return on aeronautical assets, 2015-16 to 2024-25 49

Figure 4.9. Real gross investments in tangible non-current aeronautical assets, 2015-16 to 2024-25 50

Figure 5.1. Average daily vehicle throughput by airport, 2015-16 to 2024-25 54

Figure 5.2. Real car parking revenue, 2023-24 and 2024-25 56

Figure 5.3. Real car parking operating profit, 2015-16 to 2024-25 58

Figure 5.4. Car parking operating profit margin, by airport, 2015-16 to 2024-25 59

Figure 5.5. Locations of independent car parking operators near the monitored airports 65

Figure 6.1. Vehicles using landside access, 2015-16 to 2024-25 70

Figure 6.2. Real total landside transport access revenue, 2015-16 to 2024-25 71

Figure 6.3. Transport modes as a proportion of total landside access revenue: 2018-19, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 72

Boxes 33

Box 1. Methodology for calculating quality of service ratings 33

Box 2. Airports' methodology for conducting passenger surveys 35

Box 3. Accessibility at Perth Airport - Sensory Rooms 37

Box 4. Tips for saving money on airport parking 61

Box 5. Independent off-airport car parks 64

Appendix Tables 78

Table B.1. Ratings for airport services and facilities 78

Table C.1. Examples of the differences in, and limitations of, the landside transport access data available to the ACCC 80