Australia's aviation network demonstrated resilience in March despite a challenging backdrop of Middle East conflict, fuel supply uncertainty, adverse weather and mounting cost pressures, according to Airservices Australia's latest monthly network overview.
Airservices managed 75,301 passenger flights during the month. Air traffic flow management (ATFM) ground delays ran at roughly double last year's level, driven largely by weather rather than operational failures — the 2025–26 summer season was the wettest in nearly a decade, with rainfall 32% above average. Delays attributable to Airservices were limited to Sydney operations on 6 March, linked to thunderstorm activity combined with rostering and staffing constraints.
For general aviation operators, the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service continued to perform strongly, recording 99.96% availability while responding to a 10% year-on-year increase in call-outs at major airports. The service also supported timely recovery of essential aviation operations in the wake of ex-cyclone Narelle.
At Brisbane, Airservices reported that use of Simultaneous Opposite Direction Parallel Runway Operations (SODPROPS) doubled between 2024 and 2025, though suitable weather conditions were only available for 14% of priority hours in March. The long-term decline in favourable conditions at Brisbane since 2020 remains a challenge the organisation says it will continue to monitor.
On the international side, the effects of ongoing Middle East conflict continued to reshape Australian route networks. Australia-Middle East traffic is down 77% year-on-year and direct Australia-Europe services have fallen 31%, with Asian gateways including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul absorbing much of the displaced demand. Some Chinese carriers are reported to be reducing Australian services in favour of higher-yield routes, while outbound demand to Southeast Asia remains solid.
Domestically, leisure and mining traffic largely offset the international shortfall, though forecast capacity for May and June has been trimmed, with schedule reductions of up to 1.5% and some operators flagging cuts of up to 5%.
The full March 2026 Australian Aviation Network Overview is available at airservicesaustralia.com.