Adelaide Airport still understaffed two years after pandemic hit but 500 jobs to be advertised

Staff shortages that have sparked flight cancellations at Adelaide Airport can be easily sorted, says the transport union.

Chronic understaffing that has sparked airport chaos and flight cancellations could be fixed tomorrow if the industry rehired hundreds of staff sacked during the pandemic, the union says.

Transport Workers’ Union SA branch secretary Ian Smith said 70 per cent of workers at Adelaide Airport were not eligible for Job Keeper in the pandemic as they worked for international companies, and many were forced to quit.

Qantas sacked more than 100 Adelaide workers in the pandemic, Mr Smith said.

“They could fix it tomorrow by re-employing those people, and they’re still a few of them who would go back because they love working for Qantas,” he said.

“The airlines knew this was coming, the pilots division of the TWU clearly tell us that there’s pilots sitting at home wanting to go to work and they’re not getting called in.”

Mr Smith said the overarching body in charge of airport safety, the Safe Skies Commission, should intervene.

“If we have a lack of staff, then the airport should be forced to do the right thing (and hire people), that should be addressed,” he said.

It was revealed last week that Adelaide Airport will need to fill 500 job vacancies by the end of the year, as staff shortages continue to result in delays for travellers.

Nearly 15 flights were cancelled in 24 hours in the lead-up to school holiday exodus this week.

Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox said staff directly involved with flights had largely returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“Our security team has grown by 40 per cent in recent months, but they are still looking to hire and train a further 60 staff as passenger demand continues to grow,” he said.

Mr Cox said contractors and tenants at the airport were also on the lookout for extra staff.

“We estimate businesses at Adelaide Airport will be looking for a further 500 staff across various roles,” he said.

The job opportunities will largely be available in security and retail, but also ground handling, maintenance and engineering.

A rush at Adelaide Airport for the Easter holidays earlier this years. Picture: Emma Brasier

Adelaide Airport lost well over 50 per cent of its labour force during Covid and restoring the workforce has proved to be a challenge amid significant labour shortages nationwide.

Earlier this month, Sydney Airport hosted a job fair to attract thousands of new workers.

Adelaide Airport will not follow in Sydney Airport’s footsteps, but instead encourage job seekers to approach contractors and airport tenants directly.

The airport has recommended travellers during the school holidays arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before international flights.

Regionally, Mount Gambier airport had suffered a drop in visitors.

District Council of Grant chief executive Darryl Wicker said the community was still recovering from Covid.

“We went down from an average of 7500 passengers a month to at times, less than 100,” he said.

Mr Wicker said the airport, serviced by two airlines, remained largely unaffected by staff shortages.

“We employ two full-time and two casual staff at the airport and can allocate some additional resources when needed,” he said.

Originally published as Adelaide Airport still understaffed two years after pandemic hit but 500 jobs to be advertised