Airservices marks milestone in Australia’s aviation history

Australia’s provider of air traffic control and aviation fire fighting will today mark 20 years of delivering world-class air navigation services and one of the best aviation safety records in the world.

Airservices and the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), were both established from the division of the former Civil Aviation Authority on 6 July 1995.

Airservices Acting Chief Executive Officer, Greg Hood, said that Airservices and its predecessors have a long and shared heritage in the delivery of civilian air traffic control services dating back to 1938 when the Department of Civil Aviation was established.

“We now manage more than four million flights carrying more than 90 million passengers, with two of the top 10 busiest air routes in the world,” Mr Hood said.

“We have long been at the forefront of embracing new technology, from the introduction of an advanced air traffic management system back in 2000, through to being the first country in the world to introduce continent-wide satellite surveillance in 2009.

“Now, through our OneSKY Australia program, we are moving towards becoming a world-leader in civil and military harmonisation, with the development of a joint air traffic management platform that will enable a new level of operational and cost efficiency and safety, while reducing delays for the travelling public and improving environmental outcomes.”

Over the past five years Airservices has invested more than $1 billion in Australian’s aviation infrastructure to ensure the delivery of safe and efficient services and deliver value for customers.

This has also included investing in new control towers, new fire stations, and replacing critical aviation infrastructure such as radars. Other technology improvements include transitioning away from paper strips in control towers and towards using integrated digital tower technology to deliver safety and efficiency improvements.

“Today also gives us an opportunity to recognise more than 4000 people for their professionalism, dedication and contribution to keeping our skies safe,” Mr Hood said.

“We have an integral role in an aviation industry that, in Australia, supports more than 300 000 jobs and directly employs more than 149 000 people.

“This places us in a unique position at the heart of the aviation industry, which enables us to bring together the various industry stakeholders and deal collectively with the challenges of growth the aviation industry is facing.”