I don’t necessarily like the idea of privatisation – that could end up like the airports
… glad you have grasped that concept!
– but I can’t see what is wrong with what Airservices is doing in the USA.
…. One assumes it would be a ‘light’ quote to get in the door …. How much do you think they make (considering it still costs the US/industry separately to provide approach services via the FAA)? … how much ‘actual’ cross subsidy in human capital and support services goes to those towers from the ANSP in Australia?
That is, giving a competitive quote to the FAA to operate small towers at a very much lower price, without the huge overheads of a federal organisation.
… perhaps it would be appropriate to compare the costs Airservices Australia federal organisation carry in support of the contracted US towers?
The same thing could happen here.
…. are you suggesting that the Federal ANSP (Airservices Australia) would provide tower contractors:-
- Tech support personnel
- Tech systems
- Land hold and lease costs
- Data access (radar and/or ADS-B)
- Building maintenance
- Operational compliance costs
- Operations Support (mapping, documents etc)
- Insurance (operational)
- .. and the myriad of other time and cost requirements not listed
…… for free? … NOT … cross subsidisation is not permitted remember!
I have been contacted by air traffic controllers who would like to operate their own towers on a competitive basis.
… if there are any (perhaps those cut lunch commandos)…. They must be intellectual giants …. Are they really thinking they can REALLY provide ATS Tower and Approach services for less?
They are going to provide there own:-
- Quality ATS Personnel (at an acceptable rate … you know … peanuts and monkeys)
- Operations Support (mapping, documents etc)
- Licensing and compliance (medical etc)
- Training and retention of operations staff
- Operational compliance costs (Regulator Audits etc)
- Insurance (operational)
- Specialist Aviation systems Tech support personnel
- Specialist Aviation Tech systems
- Data access (radar and/or ADS-B)
- Aviation Security compliance
- Time involved with stakeholder consultation and compliance
- IT systems
- IT support
- General maintenance contracts and/or personnel
- Building maintenance
- Insurances (other)
- Rates
- Land hold and lease costs
- .. and the myriad of other time and cost requirements not listed
.
.. for less than the National ANSP with the synergies and economies of scale available? ….. you must be joking!
.
… and if it were contemplated to provide some of these services to a contractor for free to enable a false reduction in contract cost …. It will be counter argued that the same cost relief should be applied to the AsA provided tower service!
All air traffic controllers insist on competition in just about everything else they purchase – why can’t pilots benefit from a little bit of competition when it comes to purchasing air traffic services?
… I have to say that is one of the daftest comparisons I have ever heard! … as consumers of goods, we make decision on whether there are multiple options available, we all consider quality, price, etc when deciding on which brand to buy!
.
Air traffic services are natural monopolies and as such require price regulation (such as occurs with the ACCC)!
…. Would you have a situation where lowest price is the
only criteria on which to base a purchase decision?
.. or have that purchase decision
made for you by a system that perhaps only looking at lowest cost??
.. the industry will not really know how safe or expeditious that contracted service will be (because you cannot try before you buy), and once that contract is awarded, there is no going back!
.
… for someone who purports to be a champion of safety and quality of services for the Australian travelling public …. You really have some strange perhaps even ideologically naïve ideas!
Chris Higgins
.
… the usual sagacious input …. like him, no answers to the technical, just baseless accusations!
.
I don't think that his intentions are anything less than admirable; to drag Australia kicking and screaming into the 21st century making available affordable technologies to improve safety.
.. you are entitled to your opinion, perhaps like the rest of us, you might explain why you hold that opinion!
I did not witness the vindictiveness that many have alluded to in Dick Smith.
… that is probably because you have not held a supportable contrary view to him! …
