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The ambitious system, designed to unite civil and military air traffic control across Australia, was originally conceived after a 2009 national aviation white paper but was later added as a 'project of concern' in 2017.
Civil Air union members voted in favour of the EA, which was agreed on in principle last month and will include an 11.2 per cent pay rise over three years, with all notified protected industrial actions now cancelled following the ballot.
The three-year agreement would give ATCs an 11.2 per cent pay rise as well as “significant improvements” to current conditions including allowances, and will be sent to staff for a ballot between 28 June and 3 July.
The project, to be carried out by principal contractor BESIX Watpac, will modernise the tower’s infrastructure, with Airservices estimating it will add an extra two decades to the structure’s lifespan. Construction will continue in stages through next year.
Jason Harfield, who has been with Airservices for 35 years, has reached the end of his contract and will leave on 8 June, with chief strategy and customer experience officer Peter Curran to serve as interim CEO while the air traffic control body undertakes a global search for his replacement.
In the latest Australian Aviation Network Overview for March 2024, Airservices Australia said that its “capacity constraints” affected only 1.3 per cent of flights for the month, with 4 per cent of ground delays and just 1 per cent of cancellations attributable to Airservices.
