Last Friday, 6 September 2024, Virgin Australia applied to the International Air Services Commission (IASC) to revoke their authority to utilise Australia’s 3rd daily Haneda slot allocation, following the cancellation of their Cairns-Tokyo Haneda service.
While Virgin announced the cancellation in July, the formal notification is neccessary so that the allocation can be made available to other Australian carriers and ensure that Australia doesn’t loose access to it. This will ensure that the new operator will have sufficient time to begin services to Haneda immediately following Virgin’s withdrawal on 24 February 2025.
To ensure this the IASC acted rapidly. Yesterday, 10 September 2024, it invited applications and indicated that they will conduct an expedited process, intending to make a decision by 10 October.
It is somewhat inevitable that the 3rd daily Haneda slot allocation will be awarded to Qantas given Virgin’s decision to return the slot rather than seek an alternative use of the slots. Furthermore, no other carriers would appear likely to meet the technical and operational requirements to operate to Haneda.
So where and how will Qantas utilise the slot? Let’s delve into it and see what to expect from Qantas’s IASC application.