[Peetwo]

Air routes inquiry update & RAAA backs SBAS -

Via the ABC yesterday:

Outback residents slam regional air travel costs in Senate inquiry
By Harriet Tatham

Thu 12 Apr 2018, 11:34am



Photo: Danielle Doyle and her family, including oldest son Tom (centre) who goes to school in Brisbane. (Supplied: Danielle Doyle)

Regional Queenslanders are demanding a Senate inquiry take action to reduce the cost of airfares, arguing it is more costly to fly across the state than to many international destinations.



Photo: Tom Doyle walking on the plane, taken when Tom was leaving for school in 2017 from Mount Isa airport, headed for Brisbane.

As a public hearing for the Senate inquiry into flight services begins in the north-west Queensland town of Cloncurry, Australians living in remote regions are resorting to extraordinary lengths to be heard.

Danielle Doyle is on a 13-hour return road trip from her Northern Territory cattle station to speak at the Cloncurry hearing, intent on venting her frustration at the $2,500 she pays for her son's commute to and from school.

"The return airfares vary depending on if there's a sale or not, so it can be anywhere from $460 up to around $700 or $800 return," Ms Doyle said.

The Doyles live on Mittiebah Station, a 1.7-million-acre property five hours' drive north-west of Mount Isa.

Getting her son, Tom, to school is Brisbane is not an easy venture.

"We have to firstly drive him into Mt Isa so that's a five-hour drive. Half of that's on dirt roads with about 12 gates, so then we pop him on a plane which is a two-and-a-half hour trip down to Brisbane," she said.



Photo: The journey from Mittiebah Station to Brisbane is way too far to drive. (Google Maps)

Even with the long drive, Ms Doyle believes it is the cost of airfares that are giving her a raw deal.

"We would love to be able to get down there each term to see him, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way," she said.

"It is really hard because on top of the airfares, you've got your trip to town, accommodation, hire car when you get to Brisbane and it's just thousands upon thousands of dollars just to go down for one visit."

The Senate inquiry, hosted by the rural and regional affairs and transport committee, has travelled across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland to hold public hearings on the operation, regulation and funding of air route service delivery to rural, regional and remote communities.

The inquiry received more than 160 submissions of first-hand experiences, and has heard from hundreds at the public hearings.

Queensland Labor senator Anthony Chisholm, who has travelled to the public hearings across Queensland, said they had been an emotional experience.

"Some people giving evidence have been really emotional," he said.

"It's been a real eye opener for me about the social impacts from the inability for people to travel for family, and also the impact on parents who have to travel to visit their kids at boarding school."



Photo: Qantas said booking early was the best way to cut airfare costs. (Gladstone Regional Council: Supplied)

'People have to live out here'

Many submissions detail frustration at commercial airlines for high prices.

Fly-in, fly-out worker Deslie Anderson said she stayed with family in Cloncurry rather than flying back to Brisbane.

"I think it's wrong — people have to live out here," she said.

"That's where jobs are and they shouldn't have to suffer because they chose to live here or they have to be here for work."



Photo: Deslie Anderson said many people had to be in remote areas because of work. (ABC News: Harriet Tatham)

Former Cloncurry resident Colin Todd agreed.

"I lived here for four years and it cost me more to fly Brisbane return than it did to fly to Japan return."

When previously accused of increasing flight prices during a flood event, both Qantas and Virgin Australia said in statements that the later people book, the more expensive flights can get.

In a statement, Qantas suggested the solution was booking early.

"The closer to the date of travel, the more expensive the fare is, likely because of demand," the airline said.

"Less expensive seats will be purchased first, usually well in advance."

But Ms Doyle, who booked all of her son's school flights a year in advance, said that explanation did not fly.

"I've booked all of them, up to when he flies home for the last time in November," she said.

"I did save a few hundred dollars — but all in all, it wasn't much. And then if I have to change them it's going to cost me money, so I don't know."

Senators confident change will come

Senator Chisholm said while the committee would speak to the carriers after all public hearings had concluded, he was confident the inquiry would make a change.

"I'm confident that you will see concrete proposals for this committee that local residents will be able to identify with and see that their effort in turning up and giving evidence was worthwhile," Senator Chisholm said.



Photo: The Senate inquiry into flight services is holding a public hearing in Cloncurry today. (ABC News: Harriet Tatham)

Regional air services inquiry co-chair Senator Barry O'Sullivan said he was likewise optimistic and proposals had already become obvious, such as investigating resident fares and working out a system to relieve struggling remote councils.

"It remains a mystery to everybody as to how many fares there are and how they're accessed, so unravelling that mystery is one of the first things," he said.

"There was some evidence given about some of our rural councils are having to spend a third or a quarter of their rates base to maintain an airstrip.

"Can you imagine going to the good people of Sydney or Melbourne and saying, 'we're going to pump your rates up because you've got the pay for the airport here?' We'd have a civil unrest.

"They're the sorts of things that should be able to be fixed pretty readily."

Senator O'Sullivan said aside from specific changes, it was clear the bush needed more money.

"We spent billions of dollars in this country every year subsidising public transport in the cities, so I think we may just have to dig a bit deeper to support those people I what I can the provinces."

The Senate committee is due to report back to Federal Parliament in September.

Via the Oz:

Satellite system hailed for safety

12:00amANNABEL HEPWORTH

Used throughout the world, the SBAS satellite system is essential for Australia, argues the Regional Aviation Association.

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Satellite-based augmentation system backed by aviation group


Regional airlines have ramped up their push for the adoption of satellite positioning technology already used in the US, Russia, India, Japan and many parts of Europe.

The Australian can reveal that the Regional Aviation Association of Australia has thrown its support behind a position paper produced by the Australian Airline Pilots’ Association that argues the benefits of a satellite-based augmentation system.

The paper makes a safety case for an SBAS service in Australia and says there are operational benefits including certain aircraft being able to land at regional and remote airports in poor weather instead of having to divert to an alternate airport.

An SBAS can allow highly accurate approaches to airports.

Regional Aviation Association of Australia chief Mike Higgins said an SBAS “in its simplest terms provides a significant safety case for the aviation industry”.

“The ability to provide operators the technology to facilitate more accurate and precise runway approaches, particularly at regional and remote aerodromes, ensures operators such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service can continue to provide a reliable and critical community service,” Mr Higgins said.

“The SBAS technology removes the necessity of expensive installation and maintenance of ground-based infrastructure that is not currently available at many regional and remote airports across the country.”

The push comes as the government has invested $12 million in a two-year trial of an SBAS that will test the potential of the technology in aviation, as well as for other industry sectors. The New Zealand government has contributed $2m to the project.

Airservices Australia is testing the technology in the aviation sector as part of the trial project. On Monday, officials from Airservices Australia and Geoscience Australia will be involved in a display of SBAS technology.

Starting in coming weeks, there will be tests of approach procedures us­ing an SBAS at Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Benalla and Mount Hotham to prove its accur­acy.

Mr Higgins said his outfit supported the SBAS trial “and ongoing government commitment to the program”.

A spokesman for Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael McCormack said an SBAS had “the potential to transform air transport in remote and regional Australia”.

Australian and International Pilots Association vice-president and safety and technical director Shane Loney said the objective of the position paper was “to encourage government to recognise the safety and financial benefits of satellite-based systems and to encourage and to look at funding for a continuous satellite-based service”.

The position paper noted that the International Civil Aviation Organisation backed the adoption of vertically guided approaches as a way to prevent controlled flight into terrain.

Technology to provide vertical guidance is via GPS with an SBAS or through barometric vertical navigation (Baro-VNAV) avionics in aerodromes with barometric pressure readings and temperature available.

An SBAS works by essentially enriching and correcting positioning signals transmitted by existing constellations of satellites such as the US Air Force-operated global positioning system.

“The amount of infrastructure that’s got to sit on the ground is very limited … this is one of the things that makes it really appealing,” Airservices executive general manager for air navigation ser­vices Stephen Angus said.

Australia has rolled out Baro-VNAV procedures at some airports, where they can be used by certain airframes and operators.

Most domestic and regional regular public transport aircraft are fitted with the avionics for Baro-VNAV approaches, but some aircraft in the general aviation fleet are not fitted or are not capable of it.

The AusALPA paper argues that an SBAS will provide “a safer and more operational efficiency for a considerable number of aircraft”, including smaller regular public transport aircraft and charter and general aviation aircraft.

A 2011 report into the SBAS, produced after the 2009 aviation policy white paper, supported the greater use of approach with vertical guidance but concluded that Baro-VNAV was more affordable.

"I'm confident that you will see concrete proposals for this committee that local residents will be able to identify with and see that their effort in turning up and giving evidence was worthwhile,"  -  Hmm...hate to burst the bubble of Senator Chisolm but unfortunately the track record of this Senate Committee achieving any real reform, in matters aviation, is abysmal - reference this post off the SBG thread: The invisible DPM & changing the Act cont/-


MTF...P2