Mon, Aug 16, 2004
Media discloses reports to government that millions of pax are
at risk due to new airspace management
The Weekend Australian
newspaper has released documents obtained under
Australia's Freedom of Information legislation which show that
the government was warned back in February that the airspace system
is unsafe and travellers face high risks of mid-air collisions
under the new airspace management system.
However, the government has responded by stating that travelers
are safer now under the new system, and rejected claims that anyone
had been placed at risk, according to the Herald Sun. A
spokesperson for Transport Minister John Anderson stated that only
one incident classified as a near miss had taken place since the
new system was implemented in November. That incident involved a
Virgin Blue aircraft and a light plane, in December.
"Airservices (Australia)
told us in February that they are satisfied with the initiatives
that give safety top priority, and the public can continue to have
confidence in the system and the program of aviation air space
reform," the spokesman said. "The suggestion that millions of
people have been put at risk is completely incorrect."
The documents uncovered by the Weekend Australian came from
Airservices Australia, the government run airspace management
company, shortly before Anderson told the members of the Australian
parliament that aircraft would be safer under the new system.
Anderson's spokesman added that "There was one incident classed
as a near miss. There is a considerably lower number of those
occurring now than what there has been in previous periods."
"This is a very comprehensive system. There are 50 stages. We
have introduced 13. We have always said we will be reviewing them
as they are introduced," he said. "Airservices has made some
changes. They have received information of intolerable risk at some
airports and when they receive that they put in place what they
refer to as mitigators."
The opposition in the
political arena is not so quick to claim that the system is safe.
Spokesman Martin Ferguson accused Mr Anderson of a coverup of the
safety risks to passengers as well as of misleading the members of
parliament on the issue. "The minister made these statements to
parliament when he knew them to be untrue and has covered up for
six months his knowledge that the NAS is less safe," he said. "He
has put the safety of millions of air travellers in Australia at
risk because of his stubbornness and inability to accept
responsibility for airspace reform."
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