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."

FMI: www.airservicesaustralia.com, www.casa.gov.au