| Airservices Australia | |
|---|---|
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1 July 1995 |
| Preceding agencies | Civil Aviation Authority Department of Transport and Communications Department of Aviation Transport Australia Department of Transport (Air Transport Group) Department of Civil Aviation |
| Jurisdiction | Australia |
| Headquarters | Alan Woods Building, 25 Constitution Avenue, Canberra, ACT, Australia |
| Employees | 3485 (June 2010) |
| Minister responsible | Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport |
| Agency executives | Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chairman of the Board Greg Russell, Chief Executive Officer |
| Website | |
| www.airservicesaustralia.com | |
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 (e.g. air traffic control, airways navigation and communication facilities, and airport rescue and fire-fighting services) within the Australian Flight Information Region (FIR). Airservices Australia is a full member of CANSO.
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The Australian FIR covers 11 percent of the earth’s surface; it includes the airspace over continental Australia, and 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 75 million passengers. The aviation industry also relies on Airservices Australia for aeronautical data, telecommunications and navigation services. Airservices Australia also provides Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting services at 21 of the nation’s busiest airports where there are more than 350,000 passenger movements a year.
The agency has some 1100 sites and about 3500 employees, including 1000 air traffic controllers working from two major centres at Melbourne and Brisbane Airports, and 28 air traffic control towers at capital city and regional airports. 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.
The agency's headquarters are located in the Alan Woods Building in central Canberra, which is named in honour of the late Alan Woods, a Chairman of the agency's predecessor organisation, the Civil Aviation Authority.
The agency is controlled by a Board of Directors, accountable to the Australian Parliament, through the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP. The Chairman of the agency's Board is Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston AC,AFC. The Chief Executive Officer of Airservices Australia is Greg Russell.
Airservices Australia has two Air Traffic Control Centres based in Brisbane and Melbourne. Australia has two Flight Information Regions which are managed by these centres. All airspace to the north of the dividing boundary (YBBB) is controlled by Brisbane Centre and all airspace to the south of the boundary (YMMM) is controlled by Melbourne Centre. These centres cover the whole of Australia except for the Terminal Control Units and towers at major cities.
Aerodrome controllers are airport tower controllers, airport approach controllers, airport departure controllers and ground controllers.
The Civil Aviation Branch of the Department of Defence was established on 28 March 1921, after Parliament passed the Air Navigation Act 1920 in December 1920. The organisation was reformed as a separate Government Department, the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), on 14 November 1938 after the enquiry into the 1938 Kyeema Crash. Arthur Brownlow Corbett was appointed Director-General of Civil Aviation in April 1939, serving until his retirement in August 1944. From June 1946 to December 1955 the Director-General was Richard Williams, formerly RAAF Chief of the Air Staff. Donald George Anderson held the position of Director-General from January 1956 until September 1973.
On 30 November 1973 the DCA merged with the Department of Shipping and Transport and became the Department of Transport, Air Transport Group. This group was again reformed as its own Department on 7 May 1982, the Department of Aviation (DOA). Another merger took place on 24 July 1987 when the DOA was absorbed by the Department of Transport and Communications. On 1 July 1988 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was formed to control aviation safety regulation and provide air traffic services.
CAA was split into two separate government organisations in July 1995: Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Airservices Australia took responsibility for airspace management, aeronautical information, communications, radio navigation aids, airport rescue and fire fighting services, and aviation search and rescue, while CASA assumed control of safety regulations, licensing of pilots and aviation engineers, and certification of aircraft and operators. The role of aviation search and rescue was transferred from Airservices Australia to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in 1997.
Airservices Australia entered negotiations with the Air Traffic Control union Civil Air in early 2008 to form a new collective agreement. As negotiations continued, ATC staff shortages were said to contribute to what was the worst year on record for flight delays and cancellations,[1] but had been earlier defended by Airservices CEO Greg Russell as having been caused by a group of "renegade air traffic controllers" who had been responsible for airspace closures in a form of covert industrial action.[2][3] Complaints by airline Virgin Blue culminated in a demand for $500,000 compensation in October 2008.[4] An attempt by Airservices to define obligatory reasonable overtime for its controllers failed in the AIRC in late December 2008.[5]
Remaining differences in position regarding wages and sick leave resulted in threatened industrial action by late January 2009.[6][7][8] High-level intervention of CEO Greg Russell and ACTU President Sharan Burrow in the negotiations produced an offer which averted industrial action and was endorsed almost unanimously by the Air Traffic Controllers.[9][10]
As of September 2009, Air Traffic Control staffing problems continued to disrupt the ability of Airservices Australia to provide its core function,[11][12] precipitating an unprecedented cancellation of leave for the entire Sydney approach control unit for three months.[13]
On 28 July 2010 a Federal Court action was brought against Airservices Australia by two air traffic controllers employed by the agency for alleged bullying and sexual harassment within the workplace[14].