Airport firies prepare to strike over what they claim is new evidence of understaffing

Airservices Australia has hit out at aviation firefighters’ school holiday strike plan, despite a union’s claim an AA report has confirmed its worst fears about safety.

Airservices Australia has condemned a planned strike by airport fire and rescue teams on April 15, after the firefighters’ union claimed they were acting in response to information contained in “leaked internal documents”.

The Task Resource Analysis reports compiled in 2021 showed staffing at major airports was inadequate in many cases, creating a “high to extreme risk” for air travellers.

UFU aviation branch secretary Wes Garrett said the documents confirmed the union’s claims over several years about the lack of resources available to protect Australia’s air travellers and the ongoing risk to their safety.

“These leaked documents confirm that Australia’s air travellers face a dire risk every time they set foot on an aircraft in Australia,” Mr Garrett said.

“At 13 major airports across Australia, including Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, the leaked documents confirm that air travellers face ‘extreme’ risk.

“Air travellers faced a high risk at the 14 remaining airports across Australia, including Sydney, Canberra, and Hobart.”

However, Airservices Australia said the documents were not “leaked” at all but publicly available on federal parliament’s website after being provided to Senate Estimates last year.

An Airservices spokesman said the TRA did not measure current state operational risk, but was based on theoretical scenarios which didn’t account for the likelihood of such an event occurring.

“Airservices conducts operational risk assessments to capture and define the management of risks and manage them to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable, and the TRA documentation states that Airservices’ existing processes are both effective and appropriate for current levels of operational risk,” the spokesman said.

He said recruitment was already under way to add more staff by the end of the year, resulting in a permanent increase of 28 fire and rescue officers.

It was in the process of upgrading Airservices’ entire fire and rescue fleet, and new vehicles would be equipped with “high reach extendible turrets” capable of piercing an aircraft fuselage and spraying a suppressing agent to knock down a fire.

A Japan Airlines’ aircraft engulfed in flames at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport after colliding with a coastguard plane on the runway. Picture: Jiji Press

Four-hour strikes planned at all major airports on Monday, April 15 were not about staffing but about securing a 20 per cent pay rise for firefighters, the Airservices spokesman said.

Airservices had offered 11.2 per cent over three years and a range of enhanced conditions.

The spokesman said the UFU had not even officially notified Airservices about the April 15 strikes.

“These stoppages threaten to disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Australians who are still enjoying the school holidays, which have just begun in the ACT, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania,” he said.

“Airservices will work with the airlines and airports to maintain safe operations and to minimise any impact on the travelling public as a result of industrial action.”

Australian Airports Association chief executive James Goodwin said the aviation industry urged the two parties to resolve the situation.

“I would hope any industrial action won’t disrupt the travelling public at a time when the aviation and tourism sectors are rebuilding,” Mr Goodwin said.

“Safety remains the priority and airports are ready to implement any contingency plans that might be necessary.”

Aviation firefighters last threatened to strike in December 2022 but called it off at the last minute after Airservices agreed to increase staff over time.

Airservices also faced the threat of strikes by air traffic controllers, who planned to apply to the Fair Work Commission this week for a protected industrial action ballot.

Originally published as Airport firies prepare to strike over what they claim is new evidence of understaffing