Does Dick Smith know what he want's?
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Does Dick Smith know what he want's?
Gday
Lets deregulate, no perhaps not, maybe I can't make up my mind.
Front page The Age this morning.
Jetstar 'flying blind' at Avalon: Smith
By Jason Koutsoukis
Political Correspondent
Canberra
August 6, 2004
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Aviator Dick Smith has accused Qantas of allowing its discount airline, Jetstar, to "fly blind" into and out of Avalon Airport to keep costs down.
Jetstar planes use radio call signs to assess whether other aircraft are near the airport, which is popular with light aircraft and also used by the military.
Mr Smith - a former chief air safety officer and now a key Federal Government adviser on aviation regulation - has written to Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson accusing air space regulator Airservices Australia of "corrupt practices" over the regulations governing Avalon.
Mr Smith urged Mr Anderson to overrule Airservices Australia's assessment of the air space classification at Avalon. "There is no radar, no transponder requirement, and most importantly, no terminal charges," he wrote. Mr Smith told The Age that he believed Qantas had used its influence to ensure Airservices Australia did not staff the tower at Avalon to keep costs low.
"Virgin Blue are paying tens of millions a year in landing charges at the busiest airports around the country," he said.
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Qantas is getting away with not having to pay for air-traffic controllers at Avalon. It's a disgrace."
Other regional airports not used by passenger jets, such as Coffs Harbour and Albury, are required to have their control towers operating.
Mr Smith said that when the Australian Defence Force used Avalon it demanded that the air traffic control tower was staffed.
In a letter to Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon yesterday, Mr Smith accused Qantas of hypocrisy and selfishness.
"You have opened Jetstar at Avalon, a non-tower airport in uncontrolled class G air space - the 'dirt road' of air space," Mr Smith wrote. "You have done this so you have no Airservices tower charges and therefore lower costs than your competitors . . . Geoff, how do you justify this?"
Airservices Australia spokesman Richard Dudley defended its decision.
"The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has approved Jetstar operations into Avalon without a tower air traffic control service," Mr Dudley said.
He said Airservices Australia had commissioned a study into traffic growth and the potential need for a manned tower.
Qantas spokesman Michael Sharp said Qantas' concern for safety was well documented. "We reject Dick Smith's claims entirely and have no intention of responding to his threats."
A spokesman for Mr Anderson also declined to comment on Mr Smith's complaints, saying that it was Airservices Australia that had the power and responsibility to act, not Mr Anderson.
Now I'm totally confused.
Cheers Q
Lets deregulate, no perhaps not, maybe I can't make up my mind.
Front page The Age this morning.
Jetstar 'flying blind' at Avalon: Smith
By Jason Koutsoukis
Political Correspondent
Canberra
August 6, 2004
Page Tools
* Email to a friend
* Printer format
*
*
Aviator Dick Smith has accused Qantas of allowing its discount airline, Jetstar, to "fly blind" into and out of Avalon Airport to keep costs down.
Jetstar planes use radio call signs to assess whether other aircraft are near the airport, which is popular with light aircraft and also used by the military.
Mr Smith - a former chief air safety officer and now a key Federal Government adviser on aviation regulation - has written to Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson accusing air space regulator Airservices Australia of "corrupt practices" over the regulations governing Avalon.
Mr Smith urged Mr Anderson to overrule Airservices Australia's assessment of the air space classification at Avalon. "There is no radar, no transponder requirement, and most importantly, no terminal charges," he wrote. Mr Smith told The Age that he believed Qantas had used its influence to ensure Airservices Australia did not staff the tower at Avalon to keep costs low.
"Virgin Blue are paying tens of millions a year in landing charges at the busiest airports around the country," he said.
Advertisement Advertisement
Qantas is getting away with not having to pay for air-traffic controllers at Avalon. It's a disgrace."
Other regional airports not used by passenger jets, such as Coffs Harbour and Albury, are required to have their control towers operating.
Mr Smith said that when the Australian Defence Force used Avalon it demanded that the air traffic control tower was staffed.
In a letter to Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon yesterday, Mr Smith accused Qantas of hypocrisy and selfishness.
"You have opened Jetstar at Avalon, a non-tower airport in uncontrolled class G air space - the 'dirt road' of air space," Mr Smith wrote. "You have done this so you have no Airservices tower charges and therefore lower costs than your competitors . . . Geoff, how do you justify this?"
Airservices Australia spokesman Richard Dudley defended its decision.
"The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has approved Jetstar operations into Avalon without a tower air traffic control service," Mr Dudley said.
He said Airservices Australia had commissioned a study into traffic growth and the potential need for a manned tower.
Qantas spokesman Michael Sharp said Qantas' concern for safety was well documented. "We reject Dick Smith's claims entirely and have no intention of responding to his threats."
A spokesman for Mr Anderson also declined to comment on Mr Smith's complaints, saying that it was Airservices Australia that had the power and responsibility to act, not Mr Anderson.
Now I'm totally confused.
Cheers Q
