Airservices Australia
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Airservices Australia is an Australian Government agency, responsible for providing safe and environmentally sound air traffic control management and related airside services to the aviation industry (ie: air traffic control, airways navigation and communication facilities, and airport rescue and fire-fighting services) within the Australian Flight Information Region.
The Australian Flight Information region covers 11 percent of the earth’s surface of not only Australian airspace but also international airspace over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Airservices Australia also manages upper-level airspace (above 30,000 ft) under contract to the neighbouring Pacific Island Flight Information Regions of the Solomon Islands and Nauru, and lower–level airspace in the Pacific Ocean region at five airports for the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
Each year, Airservices Australia manages air traffic operations for more than three million domestic and international flights carrying some 47 million passengers.
The aviation industry also relies on Airservices Australia for aeronautical data, telecommunications and navigation services.
The agency has a fixed asset base of $414 million across 600 sites and about 3000 employees, including 1000 air traffic controllers working from two major centres at Melbourne and Brisbane Airports, and 26 air traffic control towers at international and regional airports.
The agency's headquarters are located in the Alan Woods Building, Canberra City. The building was named in recognition of Mr. Alan Woods (deceased), former Chairman of the agency's predecessor organisation, the Civil Aviation Authority.
In 1999 the agency commenced using The Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS), a computerised air traffic control system covering all sectors of Australian air space.
Airservices Australia also provide Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting services at 18 of the nation’s busiest airports where there are more than 350,000 passenger movements a year.
Airservices Australia is a full member of CANSO
The agency is controlled by a Board of Directors, accountable to the Australian Parliament, through the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP . Former Chairman Nick Burton-Taylor AM did not seek to be re-appointed when his term expired in April 2008 (currently the position is vacant, pending appointment of a new Chairman by Federal Cabinet). The Chief Executive Officer of Airservices Australia is Greg Russell.
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[edit] Air Traffic Control Centres
Airservices has two Air Traffic Control Centres based at Brisbane and Melbourne. Australia has two Flight Information Regions, separated by a boundary, which are managed by these centres. All airspace to the north of the boundary is controlled by Brisbane Radar and all airspace to the south of the boundary is controlled by Melbourne Radar. These centres cover the whole of Australia except for Aerodromes.
[edit] Aerodrome Controllers
Aerodrome controllers are airport tower controllers, airport approach controllers, airport departure controllers and ground controllers.