Preflight

On April 18, Qantas said capacity across both its Qantas and Jetstar domestic networks in the three months to June 30 2016 would be lower than the prior corresponding period. The company also reported lower demand, measured by revenue per available seat kilometre (RASK), in March, adding forward bookings for April and May were soft.

As a result, previously forecast capacity growth for the combined Qantas/ Jetstar domestic network of about two per cent in the second half of 2015/16 has been revised downwards to growth of between half a per cent and one per cent.

Two weeks later, on May 2, Virgin announced in a trading update it would cut capacity across its Virgin and Tigerair domestic flying by 5. 1 per cent in the three months to June 30, compared with the prior corresponding period, with the pullback to be targeted on regional routes.

It was understood Virgin’s reduction in regional flying was the equivalent of removing three ATR turboprops from the fleet. Virgin has 14 ATR turboprops that are used mainly on regional east coast routes in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria.

Virgin confirmed it was on track for a full year underlying profit before tax of $30 million to $60 million in 2015/16. The full year guidance points to a second half loss of between $20 million and $50 million, given Virgin posted underlying profit before tax of $81. 5 million in the 2015/16 first half.

Speaking to Australian Aviation after launching Qantas’s new pilot uniforms on April 29 – before the release of Virgin’s third quarter trading update – Joyce said “everybody is taking capacity out because of the weak demand”.

“The reality of where we stand is there is some short-term issues that are taking place in the domestic market around the election, around underlying consumer confidence,” Joyce said.

“It is how you react to it and how your competition reacts to it. If it is disciplined and you are reacting to get the supply right, you will fix those demand problems and that is what we are doing.

“If you get supply in kilter with demand, it doesn’t matter how bad demand is, the airlines will do OK out of that. That discipline in the market is there today. ” Macquarie analysts Sam Dobson and Pete Vanns said the capacity reductions from both Qantas and Virgin were “mutually beneficial”.

“QAN’s and VAH’s decision to trim capacity at the first sign of demand weakness represents rational capacity management and the flexibility to adjust capacity growth via fleet utilisation,” the pair said in a research note dated May 2.

“VAH’s recognition of demand weakness is a positive for QAN, highlighting that weakness is not specific to QAN. ” Joyce said Qantas’s transformation program – the company is aiming to reduce costs by $2 billion in the three years to 2016/17 – had achieved $1. 4 billion in savings to date and left the airline group well placed to cope with current market conditions.

Further, the airline’s performance in the first half – the company reported statutory net profit after tax for the six months to December 31 2015 of $688 million, more than three times the $203 million net profit in the prior corresponding half – showed it was capable of achieving strong financial results even when the economy was not firing on all cylinders.

“We can cope with a weak economy and we have shown that and we will continue to show that,” Joyce said.

“Our domestic structure is as solid as it has ever been, our international transformation has been working. We are now seeing greater utilisation of our fleet and greater returns out of that business and the rest of our businesses are performing excellently.

“What we are experiencing is no different from what aviation has always experienced and will always experience. ” Over at Virgin, the airline group posted a statutory loss after tax of $58. 8 million for the three months to March 31, compared with $28. 3 million loss in the prior corresponding period. Virgin said the bulk of the deterioration in the statutory result was due to restructuring charges such as the removal of surplus capacity due to the resources downturn.

Underlying profit before tax, which removes one-off costs and was the airline’s preferred measure of financial performance, was $18. 6 million, an improvement from the $22. 2 million underlying pre-tax loss a year ago.

“While the group improved its underlying performance in this quarter, it was against a challenging operating environment,” Virgin chief executive John Borghetti said in a statement.

Everybody is taking capacity out because of the weak demand.

“This environment has been impacted by weak consumer demand and sentiment, uncertainty around the federal election and the resources sector downturn.

“As a consequence, we will reduce group capacity by 5. 1 per cent in the fourth quarter, with domestic reductions focused on regional routes. ” Borghetti said the fleet restructuring would offer “significant cost savings going forward”.

UBS analysts Simon Mitchell and Caitlin Heffernan said the Virgin third quarter result was “weaker than expected”, adding that “there remains pressure on Virgin management to improve profitability” and “reduce gearing”.

“The business remains highly leveraged to the uncertain demand outlook, with every one per cent change in unit revenue driving a $40m change in pre-tax profit,” the pair said in a research note dated May 2.

Perth named as Qatar’s next Australian A350 destination

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker says Perth is the likely next Australian destination to receive the Airbus A350-900.

Although Al Baker declined to say when Qatar’s Perth-Doha service – currently served with Boeing 777-300ERs – would switch to the A350, he noted late deliveries of the new Airbus widebody had pushed back some route changes in the airline’s network.

“We are three A350s short because we are not accepting their quality,” Al Baker told reporters in Adelaide on May 4.

“We will replace the 777s to Perth when we have enough A350s. ” Al Baker was speaking the day after Australia’s first A350 commercial service touched down in Adelaide with the arrival of QR914, operated by A7-ALH, from Qatar’s Doha hub.

Delays to A350 deliveries would also mean Adelaide would be temporarily cut from daily to six times per week later in 2016. Aircraft would be redeployed on busier routes over a 12-week period before Adelaide returned to a daily.

Al Baker said demand on the airline’s daily services to Melbourne, Perth and Sydney was strong, adding that Sydney was performing “so great” that he confirmed plans to replace its present 358-seat 777-300ERs on the route with the 517-seat Airbus A380s from September.

Meanwhile, he said present promotional fares on the new Adelaide route would be short-lived.

The “honeymoon” fares would end over the next 12 weeks as Qatar sought to improve yields.

“An airline has to sustain itself with yields,” he said. On the new Adelaide route, its yields were lower than Qatar’s competitors and fares would have to increase as the airline established itself in the South Australian market.

Al Baker would not be drawn on any plans to add Brisbane to the network, which would need an increase in the air services agreement between Australia and Qatar, given the airline has utilised all available capacity for its flights to Melbourne, Perth and Sydney under the bilateral. Adelaide is not included in the cap.

Apart from attracting passengers, Qatar hoped to gain a share of air exports from Adelaide with its weekly capacity of about 80 tonnes on the A350, which added to about 580 tonnes weekly on the airline’s Sydney, Melbourne and Perth routes.

Adelaide Airport managing director Mark Young welcomed the extra cargo capacity, as the airport company sought to boost air exports, particularly of SA seafood and fresh produce.

About two-thirds of present perishable goods were exported through Melbourne and Sydney airports, Young said, and increasing international cargo was a priority.

Meanwhile, Qatar has pushed back the launch of its nonstop Auckland- Doha service from December 2016 to February 2017.

Binding Badgerys

Coalition, Labor flag operational constraints on Badgerys Creek

So much for a curfew-free, operationally unrestricted second airport in Sydney. While the draft airport plan and environmental impact statement envisaged the proposed airport at Badgerys Creek being a 24-hour facility when it opens some time in the mid-2020s, both the federal Coalition government and Labor opposition have flagged some limits on the way the airport will operate.

It was Labor that got the ball rolling on April 21, arguing for a “no-fly zone” over the airport between 2300-0600 to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding communities.

Under the Labor plan, all aircraft during that seven-hour period would depart in a south-west direction on Runway 23, while arriving flights would approach from the south-west to land on Runway 05 to avoid residential areas.

“Labor will act to ensure there is no noise impact on existing residences and communities from night time flights as part of Badgerys Creek Airport master planning,” Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and his transport spokesperson Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement on April 21.

Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) treasurer Adam Susz said the Labor proposal would place a heavy restriction on the airport’s operations, noting departing aircraft would have to be well out of the approach path before arriving aircraft could land, resulting in a fairly low movement rate.

“It would not be possible to have simultaneous operations in an opposite direction on a single runway unless those operations were separated by 15 to 20 minutes,” Susz told Australian Aviation in an interview.

“That is possible with technology and the navigation systems we have and air traffic control and radar providing separation, but it is not ideal.

“From a pilot perspective we don’t want to see a curfew. We’d like to see 24-hour operations that are unrestricted by noise and other political agendas. ” AIPA is the union that represents Qantas pilots.

The draft airport plan and EIS for the proposed Western Sydney Airport showed a 3,700m runway on a south-west, north-east orientation.

Proposed flightpaths showed arrival flights would be directed to north-west of the airport and come to a “single point merge” at an altitude of between 5,000-7,000ft over the Blue Mountains community of Blaxland, just west of Penrith, and 2,000ft near Bankstown when landing on Runway 23.

Meanwhile, departing aircraft on Runway 05 would be at about 5,000ft by the time they were over Blacktown and at 10,000ft by the time they were at RAAF Base Richmond if headed north, or at 10,000ft between Camden and Picton if heading south.

The federal Coalition labelled Labor’s plan as a “hastily cobbled together proposal”.

However, it has asked for the proposed flightpaths laid out in the draft airport plan and EIS to be redrawn, based on community feedback and to minimise the impact of noise.

Federal Minister for Major Projects, Territories and Local Government Paul Fletcher said the ‘single point merge’ would no longer be part of the airport’s airspace plans.

“Developing optimal flightpaths to minimise noise and environmental impact requires detailed technical work and expert input. That work is underway, with a clear direction given that the flightpaths will not merge to a single point over Blaxland,” Fletcher said in a joint statement in May 6 with local members Louise Markus (Macquarie) and Russell Matheson (Macarthur).

In the 2016/17 federal budget handed down on May 3, the government allocated $115 million for the airport to be spent over the next two financial years.

Some $26 million has been earmarked to study design options for a train station and rail links at the proposed airport, while $89 million has been budgeted for “critical preparatory activities”.

“The funding will be used to provide specialist advice on planning and development of the project, ongoing management and security of the site, minor land acquisitions and design work for the provision of utilities,” the budget papers said.

Airbus, Singapore Airlines open pilot training joint venture

Airbus and Singapore Airlines have officially opened a new joint-venture pilot training centre that when fully operational will train up to 10,000 pilots a year.

The Airbus Asia Training Centre, which already numbers Qantas and Virgin Australia among its 17 airline customers, began operations at a brand new 9,250sq m site at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park earlier in April, and was officially opened on April 18 by Airbus president and chief executive Fabrice Bregier, Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran.

“We [forecast] that the region will need 14,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, so you can see the potential at least as far as pilot training is concerned,” Bregier explained at the opening ceremony.

“One day, perhaps, we will have pilot-less aircraft, but I can tell you for the next 20 years we will have full use of this joint venture!” Airbus and Singapore Airlines are 55:45 per cent partners in the US$100 million joint venture in what is the first time Airbus has teamed with an airline for a pilot training centre.

“This aligns with one of the … strategies that we have adopted to actually go beyond the core business and to look at setting up business opportunities in adjacent areas,” Goh explained.

The Airbus Asia Training Centre begins operations with an A380 and an A330 simulator transferred from the SIA Training Centre plus a brand-new A320 simulator. By the end of the year the facility will also boast a second A330 sim and two A350 sims, while by the end of 2019 another A350 sim plus a second A320 sim will be brought online.

The facility becomes the fourth Airbus pilot training centre worldwide, after Toulouse, Miami and Beijing, and will become the airframer’s largest as the additional simulators are brought online.

As well as full-flight simulators the centre will be equipped with six fixed-based training devices (APTs, or Airbus Pilot Transition) by 2019. It offers type rating, refresher, command course and instructor training.

RAAF operates Heron unmanned aircraft from Amberley

The Royal Australian Air Force has begun flying the Heron surveillance UAV out of RAAF Base Amberley, the first time the RAAF has operated the remotely-piloted aircraft from a major Australian airbase.

The RAAF’s 5 Flight has been flying the Heron from Amberley for an initial 10 day period April 13 to 22, where it has operated alongside C-17 transports, F/A- 18F Super Hornets and the KC- 30A tanker transport. 5 Flight is based at Amberley but until now has primarily conducted Heron flying operations from RAAF Base Woomera over the remote Woomera Test Range in South Australia.

Flying the Heron from Amberley is a “significant” achievement, 5 Flight commanding officer WGCDR Matt Bowers told media at Amberley on April 21.

“What it enables us to do is operate from our home base so we can operate more regularly and conduct the training that we need to do to further progress this capability into the future,” WGCDR Bowers said.

Two Herons are currently on strength with 5 Flight operating under a six-year, $120 million lease extension intended to see them remain in RAAF service until the introduction of future unmanned systems such as the MQ-4C Triton to ensure unmanned aircraft skills and corporate knowledge are maintained.

Between 2010 and 2014 the RAAF operated three leased Herons operationally from Kandahar, Afghanistan, during which time they flew a total of more than 27,000 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission hours in support of Australian and coalition ground forces.

“The main focus with Heron [now] is to sustain and maintain the capacity to operate remotely piloted aircraft,” WGCDR Bowers said.

“Our focus at 5 Flight is to ensure that Heron can be operated safely throughout Australia and integrated with other aircraft in the airspace around Amberley and other airfields across Australia. ” Some of the training outcomes from operating from Amberley include improving interoperability with the Army, 5 Flight sensor operator instructor FLTLT Nelle Sheridan explained.

“We’re still developing some of our training missions and profiles,” FLTLT Sheridan said.

“We’re looking to update what we do to maintain relevance, looking at more urban operations as well as peacekeeping type operations, search and survival assistance as well as looking to more conventional mission profiles with the Army. ” The Heron will now operate more regularly from Amberley, and it will deploy in support of military exercises such as to Tindal for Pitch Black mid this year and to Rockhampton for Talisman Sabre in 2017.

Previously in 2015 a Heron operated from Rockhampton Airport during Talisman Sabre, when it was cleared to operate through civilian airspace by Airservices controllers for the first time.

“What we’re trying to do with normalisation is show that remotely piloted aircraft are exactly the same as normal aircraft, the only difference is the pilot is sitting on the ground, but we have the same controls, [with] the same safety mechanisms at play, to ensure that we can co-exist happily,” WGCDR Bowers said.

Perth Airport new CEO

Perth Airport has named North Queensland Airports boss Kevin Brown as its new chief executive. Brown takes up his new role at Perth Airport in mid-July. He replaces Brad Geatches, who announced his resignation in December 2015. Before taking charge of North Queensland Airports, Brown has also worked at the British Airport Authority (BAA), including running Edinburgh Airport. Perth Airport chairman Colin Beckett said Brown represented the start of a “new era” for the airport and his appointment came after an extensive executive search.

VA returns to Vanuatu

Virgin Australia is returning to Vanuatu after a five-month absence. The Australian carrier’s first flight since suspending service to the popular tourist destination in January due to concerns about the runway was planned for May 23. Virgin will fly three times a week between Brisbane and Port Vila with Boeing 737-800s. Virgin said its team of safety experts had inspected the runway and concluded it was safe to resume normal operations to the airport. “Safety is always our number one priority and we will continue to monitor the runway to ensure that it remains suitable for operations. ” Air New Zealand, which also stopped flying to Port Vila in January because of the state of the runway, said in April it would not return until a permanent fix to the airport’s runway problems was completed. Air Vanuatu and Solomon Airlines maintained their jet services into and out of Bauerfield Airport. Since January, airport authorities have undertaken some emergency repairs, including crack sealing, that were completed in April.

Air NZ says it faces headwinds on yields over the next 18 months

Air New Zealand says its run of yearly earnings growth is expected to end in 2017 amid new entrants on existing routes and currency changes.

The Star Alliance member has guided the market to earnings before taxation of more than NZ$800 million for the 12 months to June 30 2016.

If full year figures are in line with guidance, it would represent a fifth consecutive year of earnings before taxation growth and a big increase from the 2014/15 result of NZ$474 million.

However, that streak was expected to end in 2016/17, with Air NZ forecasting “some near-term challenges ahead” as the airline dealt with increased competition on a number of fronts. Also, the airline said there would be a NZ$120 million impact on earnings from its foreign exchange hedges, given the benefits it received in 2016 were not expected in 2017.

Air NZ said in a slide presentation for its investor day on May 3 it expected 2017 earnings to be “solid, while not at the level of 2016”.

“We see further opportunity for growth, but recognise the environment will be different,” Air NZ said.

Over the past two years, Air New Zealand has been in expansion mode, with long-haul services to Buenos Aires, Houston and Singapore launched and new destinations Osaka, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila scheduled to take off later in 2016 as the airline looks to take advantage of the strong growth in visitor numbers to New Zealand.

The airline was on track to record an 11 per cent increase in capacity over 2015/16 with 64 per cent due to new routes and 34 per cent on existing routes.

And looking further ahead, Air New Zealand expected to grow capacity between eight and 10 per cent in 2017.

Air NZ said in its investor day presentation capacity growth would be “in-line with New Zealand tourism growth” over the medium term.

However, other carriers are also keen to tap into the local tourism market – Emirates recently commenced daily Auckland-Dubai flights, adding another option to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while American and United (in partnership with Air NZ) are starting new nonstop services from Auckland to their respective US west coast hubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco over the next two months.

And Qatar is also planning to commence Auckland-Doha flights from February 2017.

A bit closer to home, there are a number of fifth-freedom operators on the Tasman such as AirAsia X, China Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Emirates and, from September, Singapore Airlines providing an alternative to the Air New Zealand/Virgin Australia and Qantas/Emirates/Jetstar offerings.

And in its home domestic market, Air New Zealand is facing a big push from Qantas-owned Jetstar, which has started serving regional routes with a fleet of five 50-seat Dash 8-Q300s.

Air NZ said it expected some “headwind” to overall yields over the next 18 months as the market adjusted to the new capacity, while the revenue mix impact “related to simulation of leisure travel”.

“But revenue maximisation and profitable growth will continue to drive our strategy,” Air NZ said, adding the airline had the “flexibility to address the current competitive environment while executing the long-term strategy”.

At its 2015/16 half year results presentation in February, Air New Zealand said yields – the industry measure of average airfares per passenger – on its domestic network fell 3. 9 per cent and were two per cent lower on its international operations. Yields on Tasman and Pacific Islands flights rose 2. 7 per cent.

In terms of managing its own capacity amid this new environment, Air New Zealand said it was reallocating some capacity from Los Angeles to Houston, given the new nonstop service to the Texas mining and oil hub that took off in December was “outpacing expectations”.

Its network was “firmly in sustainable growth mode”.

“Alliance partnerships underpin the growth opportunity,” the airline said.

Meanwhile, there were few new details about what the airline planned to do with its shareholding in Virgin Australia.

Analysts who attended the investor day indicated the airline was keen to have a decision on its Virgin shareholding by June 30. However, the timing of any move could be complicated by the Australian government being in caretaker mode before the nation goes to the polls on July 2.

The airline announced on March 30 it was looking to sell all or part of its shareholding in Virgin, with Air NZ chief executive Christopher Luxon stepping down from the board.

Airservices’ Greg Hood named new ATSB chief commissioner

Senior Airservices executive Greg Hood has been named as the next Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief commissioner, replacing Martin Dolan, who has been the ATSB chief commissioner for the past seven years, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester announced on May 6.

Hood, who began his career as a RAAF air traffic controller, is currently executive general manager for air traffic control at Airservices, a position he has held since 2013. He also previously worked at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and is a pilot who flies his own BD4 aircraft.

Chester said Hood’s more than 30-year career in the aviation sector meant he would bring extensive experience and leadership into the role of ATSB chief commissioner.

“This appointment will enable the ATSB to continue to perform its vital role as the national transport safety investigator to the high standards expected by Australians,” Chester said in a statement.

“I would like to thank Mr Martin Dolan for the leadership he has provided to the ATSB over the past seven years as Chief Commissioner, a period coinciding with strong growth and increasing diversity in the transport sector. ” Regional Aviation Association of Australia (RAAA) chairman Jim Davis said he welcomed Hood’s appointment and thanked Dolan for his support of the regional aviation industry as chief commissioner.

“Hood brings an extensive knowledge of the aviation industry and safety management to the position,” Davis said in a statement.

Qantas establishes dedicated freighter fleet for Australia Post

Qantas is establishing a dedicated sub-fleet of six freighter aircraft to deliver domestic mail, parcels and Express Post for Australia Post and its subsidiary StarTrack.

The fleet comprises two Boeing 737-300Fs and three BAe 146-300Fs from Qantas’s existing freighter fleet that will be joined by a new Boeing 737-400F, with the aircraft to be branded with StarTrack livery.

From July, the aircraft will operate to nine domestic destinations as part of a five-year contract signed in 2015 worth an estimated $500 million that sees Qantas contracted to transport Australia Post mail and parcels until mid-2020.

The dedicated freighter fleet – the 737s are operated by Qantas-owned Express Freighters Australia while the BAe 146s are operated for Qantas by Cobham Aviation Services – is in addition to Australia Post receiving priority access to the belly space in Qantas and Jetstar’s passenger fleet.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said Australia Post would benefit from the airline group’s scale and wide network reach.

“Our focus in designing this agreement is to help our biggest freight customer better coordinate their supply chain and ultimately deliver a better service to their customers,” Joyce said in a statement.

Qantas, Australia Post and StarTrack have a long history of cooperation. Qantas and Australia Post formed domestic air freight operator Australian air Express in 1992 as a 50:50 joint venture, while in 2003, again as 50:50 partners, they acquired courier delivery company Star Track Express. In 2012 Qantas sold its share of StarTrack to Australia Post, and in turn acquired Australia Post’s 50 per cent share in Australian air Express.

Meanwhile, Virgin Australia’s freight business, which was established in June 2015, recently signed TNT as a major customer, with dedicated freighter aircraft to serve the contract.

China Eastern’s daily BNE-PVG to begin in December

China Eastern has decided to begin year-round flights between Brisbane and its Shanghai hub as a daily service from December.

Originally, the Qantas partner and Skyteam alliance member had planned to serve Brisbane three times a week with Airbus A330 aircraft from November. However, Brisbane Airport said on May 5 the year-round service will now be a daily offering, with the first flight scheduled for December 16. China Eastern operated seasonal flights to Brisbane during January and February.

Jetgo pioneers Albury-Brisbane

Jetgo plans to offer nonstop flights between Albury and Brisbane from June 20. The route will be served four times a week with 36-seat Embraer ERJ-135 jets, with Albury the airline’s third destination in regional NSW alongside Dubbo and Tamworth.

Jetgo managing director for airlines Paul Bredereck said Albury was a market with potential to grow, given its close location to the snow.

FlyPelican launches Newcastle-Dubbo

Regional carrier FlyPelican is adding a new destination from Newcastle with flights to Dubbo starting on July 18.

The service will be operated by 19-seat Jetstream 32 aircraft, with morning and afternoon departures from both cities on weekdays.

TAAAF calls on government to privatise Airservices

Aviation Associations Forum policy document calls for far-reaching change

The Australian Aviation Associations Forum (TAAAF) has called for the privatisation of Airservices, with the funds used to set up an Aviation Future Fund.

The Forum, which brings together the peak bodies representing the aviation sector in Australia, says the current Airservices model is “no longer capable of effectively responding to emerging aviation opportunities or the need for greater efficiency”.

“The partially-corporatised model under which Airservices Australia has operated for almost 20 years is increasingly incapable of delivering efficient and affordable air traffic services in a growing aviation market,” said TAAAF’s 2016 policy document, which was released on April 28.

“Airservices should be privatised along the lines of the Canadian air traffic provider, Nav Canada, which has operated successfully and safely for over 20 years.

“Nav Canada is a not-for-profit regulated monopoly owned by industry stakeholders who are represented on the governing board and surpluses are reinvested in the corporation or used to reduce prices. ” As part of the privatisation of Airservices, TAAAF also called for major airport operators to be responsible for day-to-day management of aircraft noise reporting and take over aviation rescue and firefighting services.

TAAAF estimates the privatisation of Airservices would generate about $1 billion. Of that, $500 million should be spent on developing training, research and leadership programs.

TAAAF chair Greg Russell, who was a former Airservices chief executive for seven years, said Airservices needed to change to reflect the current conditions.

“We think that there is a better model that can produce lower costs and better efficiency,” Russell told Australian Aviation.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Australia (AOPA), which has 2,600 members and aims to represent the general aviation sector, has also called for Airservices to be privatised.

The federal government has said previously it did not support the privatisation of Airservices.

In an interview with Australian Aviation in April – prior to the release of the TAAAF policy document – Airservices chief executive Jason Harfield said his focus was on ensuring the organisation was “match fit” and as efficient as possible.

Further there was “nothing in our current construct that prevents us from being as efficient as people would think, than if we’re privatised”.

“Whether that means that we are right for a privatisation or not, in my mind, is, I’ll call it, irrelevant,” Harfield said.

“Because you usually find that the privatisation argument will come up when we’re confused about who we are and what we do. If our customers think that they are getting the best value service, then it won’t matter who owns you or what the methodology is.

“If we are as efficient as we possibly can be then there’s no point in trying to privatise, not because of who may own you, or whatever, but it’s about the value that gets delivered to industry. ” With the nation going to the polls on July 2, TAAAF is also calling for the federal government to appoint a Minister Assisting for Aviation, whose role would be to “oversee and coordinate a new aviation strategy for Australia”.

A national aviation strategy and integrated aviation infrastructure master plan were also needed to meet the forecast growth in demand over the next two decades.

“The Forum believes there are significant savings for industry and government through a more efficient planning process,” TAAAF said.

The Forum has also proposed changes to modernise the Civil Aviation Act, given Australia’s “highly prescriptive approach to aviation safety” had “hindered the development of the industry for little discernible safety benefit”.

Regional Aviation Association of Australia chairman and Regional Express board member Jim Davis said there were “legacy issues” at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) which had hurt general aviation and regional aviation.

“We fully support what the board is doing to try to change everything,” Davis said. “But we are in the meantime suffering from the old rules that were made under the old CASA regime. ” “We would like to see the Act rewritten in two years to give the CASA board a lot more authority, to give CASA more direction. ” Davis said some of the proposed reforms outlined in the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review had stalled.

TAAAF has also called for CASA’s funding model to be changed, becoming more in line with the Airservices fee for service model.

Russell said the association’s proposed policy initiatives offered “real pathways to improved services, savings for the taxpayer and more effective regulation”.

“It is estimated that over $2. 2 billion in benefits to government, industry and society would be realised from the adoption of these policies,” Russell said.

“A new approach to aviation challenges through a government/industry partnership would make Australia into a regional aviation leader and drive growth and opportunities across the nation. ”

Qantas pilots get new look

White cap peaks off a “traditional yet modern” design

Captain Debbie Slade has been a Qantas pilot for 27 years and counting.

During that time, she has gone to work in a uniform that, while functional and practical, was never really designed for women pilots.

All that will change from October, when Slade will head into the flightdeck of the Airbus A330s she currently flies for Qantas in a new uniform from Australian designer Martin Grant that specifically caters for the airline’s female pilots.

Slade, who modelled the new uniform at a runway fashion show held at Sydney’s Carriageworks on April 29, is thrilled with the new design.

“We have had a female uniform but it hasn’t been very feminine, it’s still been pretty boxy and a lot of the girls haven’t felt brilliant in it,” Slade told Australian Aviation after her stint as a runway model.

“This is the first time it has actually got a little bit of shape and design for the feminine figure rather than for a girl in a boys’ job. It’s beautiful. ” Qantas announced in April 2015 Grant, the man responsible for the airline’s new cabin crew uniforms, had been commissioned to update its pilot uniforms.

Since then, the France-based Australian designer has held focus groups, conducted online surveys and trialled fabrics and designs in flight simulators in an effort to come up with something that satisfied regulatory requirements and that Qantas pilots would enjoy wearing.

The result is the first new pilot uniform in 13 years.

“They did trials in the simulator so that they could work out reaching and how much you’ve got to move and when you are sitting down in the trousers for 15 hours how they are going to feel and are they comfortable,” Slade explained.

“He really looked at how you are wearing it. It was fantastic consultation. ” Grant said the “traditional yet modern” design reflected the glamour of flying and suited pilots’ unique workplace environment.

One of the most significant challenges was coming up with a fabric that would pass tests for flammability and static, was washable and non-crushable.

“That was probably the longest development time actually, getting that right because it has to pass so many tests,” Grant explained to Australian Aviation.

Grant described the task of incorporating the pilot ranks on the uniform as “fascinating”.

“For me it was more the original challenge was actually the codes involved in the uniform, so all of the insignia, all of the ranking, a lot of that which is aviation norm, they have to be identifiable,” Grant said.

“To have to work with those things and then tweak them slightly, so we ended up talking about millimetres of change and that for me as a designer is actually quite interesting.

“For me it was important to keep the overtones of the military heritage, because that is where the uniform comes from and I think they are very proud of that. That came through in speaking to the pilots and it is how I felt as well.

“They automatically command respect and it is one of the top five most respected professions in the workforce and so that was very important. ” Features of the new designs include a new waterproof white top hat with a gold embroidered badge using the Qantas kangaroo logo, golden wattle embroidery on captains’ hats, a new wing badge, and finer gold rank stripes. The suits feature a lighter fabric colour and are single-breasted with a “streamlined” cut with red vents at the back, while the shirts are more fitted and women pilots will wear a specific female tie. There is also a trench coat from lightweight wool.

Suits are made from pure Australian merino wool with Australian cotton used for the shirts.

While the reaction from those at the uniform launch was positive, the response to the new design among Australian Aviation readers was mixed, with the decision to have a white pilot hat promoting the most debate.

Reader Tony said the hat was “not very practical and from another era! Cap badge is just tacky. Looks like a budget charter outfit, not a premier airline”.

‘Frequent Traveller’ was also unimpressed with the hat, asking: “Who on earth thought that was a good idea? Talk about playing dress up for a fancy dress party. ” And Benji wondered if the designs were more akin to men at sea than airline pilots: “They remind me of that TV series The Love Boat from the 1980s. ” Qantas said new uniform fittings would begin in July, with all 3,000 domestic, international and regional pilots to be sporting the new look by the end of 2016.