Anderson admits air incidents 'inevitable'
Anderson admits air incidents 'inevitable'
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Anderson admits air incidents 'inevitable'
5:27 PM January 12
Federal Transport Minister John Anderson says some "airborne incidents" are an inevitable side effect from the Government's new airspace regulations.
Air Services Australia (ASA) and light aircraft pilots have accused air traffic controllers of scare mongering by highlighting a series of apparent "near misses" involving planes across the country.
"It is always the case when you change airspace arrangements that you have a few incidents, just as you do if you change the traffic rules," Mr Anderson said.
He says the previous guidelines had been out-of-date for decades and he has again defended the safety of the new regulations, which allow light planes to share the same airspace as commercial jets.
"We are after all, broadly speaking, moving to an American-style system where, in tougher weather circumstances and much more concentrated airspace, there's a lot more people flying," he said.
"They (the US) maintain very safe skies indeed."
Source: ABC