AVALON AIRPORT INCIDENT SHOWS EXTENT OF SAFETY CRISIS IN AVIATION

The TWU will urgently meet with Jetstar and call for a review of safe operating procedures and training, after an incident yesterday at Avalon airport involving a man wielding a firearm attempting to board a Jetstar flight.

A recent TWU survey of over 2000 aviation workers revealed a safety crisis at our airports, with 54% saying they have felt unsafe at work. 65% of cabin crew have dealt with passengers presenting risks to the public.

See full survey results.

With revelations around the lack of security at Avalon Airport, the TWU is also calling for a Safe and Secure Skies Commission to bring together airports, airlines, regulators and governments to ensure all parties can work together towards a safe and fair industry for both workers and travellers.

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said:

“There are serious questions to be answered here about how this potentially catastrophic event occurred.

“A whopping 65% of cabin crew have dealt with passengers presenting risks to the public, and with these safety critical jobs having become more insecure and understaffed over the last decade, those risks have only increased.

“The aviation community is of course shaken by yesterday’s events. These workers deserve to be safe at work, just as travellers deserve to get safely to their destinations.

“Airline and airport executives have turned this industry into one geared towards short-term profits. We need to see all players working together towards a safer and better aviation industry instead of relentlessly cutting costs, which has seen safety plummet at our airports.

“To do that we need a system that can pull those parties in to make decisions in aviation’s best interests, to keep everyone safe, ensure decent jobs and decent standards for the travelling public.

“A Safe and Secure Skies Commission could ensure a review of the security status of all airports on an ongoing basis, to ensure a coordinated approach to safety.”

Aviation worker quotes:

 “I’ve had to call AFP on a number of occasions to meet the aircraft due to aggressive passenger behaviour that threatened the safety of the passengers.

“Had a passenger on drugs on a flight from Perth and nearly had to divert to Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport. This was an extremely stressful and dangerous situation for the crew and passengers which added to the already tired and fatigued crew.

“Passenger behaviour is becoming more radical, more aggressive and it’s becoming more dangerous to be contained in a metal tube with them.