Safety benefits for regional air travellers
The Director of Aviation Safety, Mick Toller, today announced new safety requirements affecting about 120 regional aerodromes throughout Australia which do not have an air traffic control tower.
From 1 February 1999, a ground based communication service must be provided at all non-controlled aerodromes which are served by aircraft operating regular public transport services with a passenger capacity of ten or more. The so called third party communication service must be in operation at the time airline aircraft are operating in airspace near the aerodrome.
"The fundamental reason for this requirement is to enhance the safety of scheduled passenger operations where they are sharing airspace at non-controlled aerodromes with general aviation aircraft," Mr Toller said.
The initiative addresses a number of recommendations concerning traffic alerting and radio frequency selection made by the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation following recent incidents.
There are about 120 aerodromes to which the new requirement will apply. CASA has been actively encouraging the provision of third party communications and already some 30 aerodromes meet the new safety standards. The cost of establishing a third party communication service at the remaining locations is expected to total less than $250,000.
Mr Toller said CASA considered that the relatively small cost to airlines in complying with the requirement was more than offset by the safety benefits derived.
"This initiative builds on other recent safety measures introduced to protect the fare paying passenger. For example, in February we saw the highly successful introduction of Class 'E' airspace between Canberra and Ballina. This resulted in radar services being made available for the first time for aircraft flying between 8,500ft and 12,500ft outside terminal control areas.
"More recently, a radar information service was introduced in Class 'G' airspace, replacing a system and technology that goes back to the 1940s. Both these initiatives mean that pilots have to rely less on 'see and avoid' than ever before.
"Mandatory transponder requirements for all powered aircraft flying under visual flight rules in this airspace means that they are visible to the radar controller and this is another safety benefit.
"There can be no complacency about Australia's aviation safety record. We must ensure that our rules and standards provide the basis for the industry to maintain that record," Mr Toller said.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Don Hook
Acting Manager Public Relations
Phone (02) 6217 1015 or Mobile 041 929 6446
17 November 1998
Ref: ME9830PR