'Eventually there will be an accident': Aviator Dick Smith says pilots are 'flying blind' at regional airports as safety recommendations are ignored
- Entrepreneur Dick Smith says 2004 ministerial safety directive which said radars should be installed at 10 regional airports has been ignored
- The former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority claims profit is being put before safety
- Implementing radar services at the regional airports would cost tens of millions of dollars
- Airports without radars include Alice Springs and Coffs Harbour
- 'It's obvious that if you don't install it that eventually you will have an accident,' Mr Smith said
By
Sarah Dean for Daily Mail Australia
Published: 14:27 AEST, 6 October 2014 | Updated: 17:17 AEST, 6 October 2014
Thousands of planes are 'flying blind without radar' when they land at regional airports because Airservices Australia has refused to comply with safety instructions, aviator and entrepreneur Dick Smith has warned.
The millionaire and former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority claimed that lives are being put at risk because the AA has been 'completely irresponsible' in not implementing a 2004 ministerial safety directive relating to radar at 10 airports.
Albury, Alice Springs, Coffs Harbour, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Maroochydore, Rockhampton and Tamworth airports currently do not use radar for incoming flights.
'They have to obey the ministerial directive and they have not obeyed it purely so they can make more profits,' Mr Smith told Daily Mail Australia.
Former chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority Dick Smith said profits are being put before safety at regional airports across Australia
In 2004 a ministerial safety directive told CASA to implement radar systems for air traffic controllers at 10 regional airports but ten years later these airports still do not have radar
He warned the AA board members that not implementing radar technology means 'they will be personally liable and they will lose their houses' if an accident occurs.
The implementation was supposed to have taken one year but has still not been carried out after 10 years.
Mr Smith said that although there have not been any accidents because of a lack of radar so far, it is only a matter of time.
'It hasn't caused a crash yet but you don't have a ministerial safety directive that requires something to be implemented for no reason.
Eventually there will be an accident... it's obvious that if you don't install it that eventually you will have an accident.'
He explained that the category of air space that the airports use 'requires radar to operate properly'.
Alice Springs is one of the regional airports that was advised to install radar technology in 2004
Hamilton Island airport, where thousands of tourists fly into every year, was also told to get radar
'It means if you are flying an aircraft it's on the radar screen. But at the moment they are flying blind without radar. Air traffic control have to call them up and work out where they are and they say "20 miles" away,' Mr Smith said.
HOW MANY PLANES ARE 'FLYING BLIND'?
According to 2010 data from The Civil Aviation Authority thousands of planes fly out of the 10 regional airports every year:
- Albury has 180 RPT flights a week
- Alice Springs has 128 RPT flights per week
- Coffs Harbour has 144 RPT flights a week in
- Hamilton Island has over 3,800 RPT flights a year
- Hobart has 14,285 RPT flights a year
- Launceston has 11,812 RPT flights a year.
- Mackay has 11,000 RPT flights a year
- Sunshine Coast/Maroochydore has 6,263 RPT flights a year
- Rockhampton has 11,500 RPT flights a year
- Tamworth has 2,911 RPT flights a year
Implementing radar services at the regional airports would cost tens of millions of dollars and Mr Smith believes this is the reason why the safety directive has been ignored.
'They have worked out that if they don't put the radar in and if they force the industry to put black boxes in instead they would make higher profits.'
Responding to legal advice issued by Mr Smith to Airservices Australia in relation to the radars, AA chairman Air Chief Marshal Houston, told the
The Australian: 'Airservices has continued to progress technological and operational changes to enhance the safety of our services in regional Australia.
'There are now advanced technologies which in the near *future will, to a large extent, replace radar surveillance.'
However, Mr Smith refuted Mr Houston's claims that the airports are using new safety technology instead of radars.
'Their answer is modern technology will save money but it hasn't come in to use yet. They are putting profit in front of safety,' he said.
In a 2010 report that reassessed the ministerial advice, The Civil Aviation Authority noted: 'Radar is no longer the only technology available to provide surveillance to ATC. The introduction of satellite systems, air-to-ground data links and the emergence of new techniques provide surveillance coverage to ATC and will eventually replace the use of radar systems.
'Radar is considered to be old technology and is expensive to install and maintain when compared to newer technologies.'
The report also noted the high cost of installing radar technology and admitted that: 'The level of radar coverage surrounding the 10 Regional Aerodromes has not changed since the Ministerial Direction was given in 2004 although the TASWAM network has improved coverage in Tasmania.'
In 2010, there were 6,263 RPT flights a year from the Sunshine Coast Airport