iscover
The ballot, which closes on 1 May, was filed by ATC union Civil Air. If successful, protected industrial action could include bans on ATC training and overtime, as well as work stoppages of up to 24 hours, and comes amid accusations of understaffing and poor work/life balance.
Union Civil Air said it would apply to the Fair Work Commission to authorise a vote in a move that could potentially lead to huge delays and cancellations across airports nationwide.
Civil Military Air Traffic Management System (CMATS) has been installed at Airservices’ two major control centres in Melbourne and Brisbane, and will now face intensive testing of its operational capabilities, safety, and security following a successful initial Melbourne demonstration.
In its February 2024 report, the air traffic management body found that only 1.3 per cent of flights for the month were affected by ATC ‘capacity constraints’, the lowest level in 10 months, with 6 per cent of arrival cancellations also attributable to Airservices.
Digital aerodrome services use cameras and sensors to replace traditional physical air traffic control towers, and are faster and cheaper to construct. The digital tower, operated from a new centre at Eastern Creek in western Sydney, will be the first of its kind in Australia when it opens in 2026.
The overhaul is not expected to cause any disruption to ATC services, and will involve life extension on the tower’s infrastructure as well as upgrading internal facilities into a “modern workspace”, Airservices says.
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