“A question I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is this: when airport demand keeps growing, what comes first? More infrastructure or better coordination?

The default answer is often more infrastructure. More gates, more terminal space and more runway capacity. But building infrastructure is expensive, complex and slow. In many cases, there are years between identifying a capacity issue and delivering a solution. In the meantime, airports still need to maintain performance, support growth and deliver a good experience for airlines and passengers alike.

To me, that’s where coordination becomes critical.

As airports grow, they inevitably start seeing pressure points emerge. Morning peaks become busier, infrastructure reaches its limits for short periods and demand begins clustering around the same preferred times. At that point, the challenge isn’t necessarily creating more capacity. It’s about making better use of the capacity that already exists.

A simple way to think about it is a restaurant. If every customer wants a table at 6pm, the answer isn’t automatically building a bigger restaurant. First, you’d look at how bookings are managed, how demand can be spread across the evening and how you can provide a better experience with the resources already available.

Airport coordination works in much the same way. It’s not about restricting growth. It’s about helping airports achieve sustainable growth while maintaining performance, reliability and service levels.

Demand growth isn’t the problem. Managing that growth effectively is the challenge. That’s why coordination matters more than ever.”

Darren Batty is the Coordination Manager for ACL Asia Pacific, leading slot coordination activities at Sydney Airport. With more than 25 years in the aviation industry, he works with airlines, airport operators, regulators, and industry stakeholders to optimise airport capacity, improve operational performance, and support sustainable growth.