Fears over cuts to Adelaide Airport emergency services

Rescue and firefighting crews at Adelaide Airport will face a 40 per cent cut during curfew hours — just as the number of flights between 11pm and 6am ballooned to about 4000 a year.

Airport Ward councillors Brandon Reynolds and Jassmine Wood fear for the safety of passengers, Airport workrs and local residents. Picture: AAP/Roy VanDerVegt

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Aviation rescue and firefighting crew at Adelaide Airport face a 40 per cent cut during curfew hours — just as flights between 11pm and 6am have ballooned to about 4000 a year, or 10 a day.

Airservices Australia’s plan to slash crews during a period of unprecented growth at the airport has sparked angry claims that the Federal Government is putting savings before safety, risking the lives of passengers, thousands of airport workers and tens of thousands of nearby residents.

The cost-cutting measure comes as new figures released by the Department of Transport show that aircraft operations during the curfew period between October and December last year totalled 1014, with experts confident these numbers will increase.

Airport Ward councillor Brandon Reynolds described the cuts as “baffling”.

“In the past quarter we’ve seen nearly a thousand aircraft arrive and depart during the curfew, and soon those passengers and crew, along with the communities they fly over, will be left waiting for metropolitan-based emergency response crews to assist in a crisis — just to save a few dollars,” Cr Reynolds said.

Councillor Jassmine Wood said it was “astounding” that the curfew was being used to justify the cuts when it was constantly being breached.

“When it comes to the safety of passengers, airport workers and local residents, safety should be the No. 1 priority and no price could be too high to ensure it,” she said.

West Torrens chief executive Terry Buss has written to federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack saying councillors were concerned that the cuts could “jeopardise” reactions to emergencies and security threats.

He said the airport, which had more than 8.4 million passengers a year, was next to the densely populated suburbs of West Beach, Lockleys, Brooklyn Park, West Richmond and Netley and located “fully within” West Torrens, which has 60,000 residents.

In his response, Mr McCormack said under Civil Aviation Safety Regulations “there is no requirement to provide any Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service coverage outside of the operating hours of passenger aircraft at Adelaide”. He said “current staffing levels are above the minimum required”.

However, an airport source told Messenger Community News that the proposed downgrading of curfew crew from five to three — one officer and two firefighters — would make it “impossible to cope in most emergencies and leave the airport very vulnerable”.

United Firefighters Union of Australia safety and risk specialist Glen Barker said: “ Flights during the curfew period are increasing each year so it is shortsighted for Airservices to reduce fire and rescue capability during a period of unprecedented growth.”