It seems there is some major confusion out there in the difference between GA or Charter operators that I am talking about and RPT and the regional scheduled airlines. It seems that some are thinking GA covers all operators that isn't a heavy.
My concern is the loss of charter operators. This is the target group for the new Part 135.
Charter operators are mainly small business less than 10 aircraft most are only running two or three small light aircraft and are by far these charter companies are the biggest employers of low time pilots in Australia.
The latest statistics showing the number of AOC holders by Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport, & Regional Economics (BITRE) Report 115 as of Febuary 2015 are as follows
Charter operators- 593
Flight Training operators - 188
RPT operators - 31
The figures for 2009 were
Charter operators - 601
Flight Training operators - 210
RPT operators - 41
It is noted from the BITRE report the number of operators with a RPT services was 53 in 1984, peaked at 58 Operators in 1993, and since then has decreased to the dismal level of 28 operators providing RPT services in 2010. Since the last report by BITRE a further 7 of the operators providing services in the report have ceased operations all together and closed their doors.
In investigations of the source data it discovered that over this time frame there were only 8 years that showed a net increase year on year in the number of RPT operators and 16 years had a net decrease in the number of RPT operators servicing regional and remote parts of Australia.
We are not aware of any data that explains the reason why out of the 165 operators that have attempted to undertake RPT operations in regional and remote parts of Australia why only 21 remain. However, what is highlighted is that of the 21 remaining RPT operators in 2015;
only 3 have provided continuous RPT services for the entire period;
a further 5 have provided continuous RPT services since 2000; and
a further 6 have provided continuous RPT services since 2005.
So with the above report on RPT declines in my mind the biggest sector in regional Australia is the charter AOC holders. Like us they are mostly just small operators spread all over inland and remote Australia running only A few aircraft each servicing tourists and local communities and the biggest employer in Aviation in remote Austalia and if even half these companies shut down as well because they couldn't afford to meet compliance with Part 135 how many will this put out of work? Due to the reduced amount of operators how many training companies will shut the doors?
You may say that the Mums & Dad operations will be replaced by bigger operators taking up the gap left. However As proven by the decline in RPT this will never happen as the reason most of these small Mum and Dad companies survive is because they can operate with low overheads, most owners not even drawing a wage only living expenses. The only reason they stay in business is they love the business and its been their lifetimes work, if they weren't doing it, it would mean being unemployed as opportunities for work is very limited if all you have done all your life is fly and run a air charter company in remote Australia. It is just not viable for a big company to establish a base in an area like that that Relies on ad hock charters without regular work or contracts. Small GA is same as a small cottage industry Mum does the books, Dad looks after the flying and they may have a newbie and a senior line pilot that was last years newbie.
If Part 135 is going to straighten out charter why then has the biggest decline in the industry since 2009 been in RPT? Could it just be the cost of compliance with recent legislative changes that swept through RPT and miantiance in the past couple of years?
I thought Australia always loved the little guy having a go. That's all these guys and girls are trying to do. However from a lot of posts out there it seems that Australia has become a big fan of the big company the body corporate only making decisions for the bottom line without a sence of community or the communities they serve. I didn't realise that we as a nation had become so city centric. Brush the bush off if you wish but it still is the source of most of our export earnings. All these remote communities still need plumbers, electricians, tradesman and government officials. With sometimes a 10 hour drive or impassable roads in the wet these guys still rely on GA to get into remote communities I cannot see why we need to shift to a RPT standard to do this with only one or two passengers in a 210. GA is as safe if not safer than it has ever been. You always hear about the bad operators but you never hear about the good ones.
MS