Secondary airport privatisation, the skills shortage, regulation and the ageing fleet are the four recurring issues affecting the Australian general aviation industry, according to the Strategic Industry Leaders Group, established by the former government to look at issues facing the local GA sector.
The group, comprising senior members of the industry, was set up last year to drive the GA Action Agenda process that was tasked with identifying the industry's problems and develop strategies for growth. The action agenda has since been incorporated by the new government into its wider aviation White Paper process, which is aimed at developing the country's first national aviation policy.
The strategic group's report says the Australian GA industry is in a state of transition, with some sectors - particularly the less regulated, recreational sector - growing strongly, with others in decline. Total GA flying hours have remained flat over the past 15 years, with a peak of 1.88 million hours in 1997 and a low of 1.64 million in 2004, with an overall decrease of 0.2% per annum. In contrast, recreational flying has grown from 70,500h in 1996 to more than 120,000h in 2006.
The industry has faced profound changes in the past 20 years, including privatisation of airports, increases in the cost of aircraft and fuel and changes in the safety and security environment. For example, 22 federally owned airports have been leased to private operators since the late 1990s and are now run as commercial organisations, creating tension with tenants, it says.
Much of the GA fleet was purchased in the late 1970s, when US manufacturer pricing was much lower, the value of the Australian dollar was much higher and the Australian government offered a 40% investment allowance to contribute to the cost of new aircraft, says the report. If no steps are taken to change the situation, by 2015 the average age of the single-engine fleet will be 37 years and 40 years for the multi-engine fleet, it warns.
The report makes 18 recommendations. These include establishing a formal mediation process to address problems at secondary capital city airports and that the government enforces the fact that leased airports must remain in use as effective airports.
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the industry should continue to explore a workable model for self-administration, although this should exclude passenger transport operations, the report suggests. To address the problem of the ageing fleet, it recommends the government considers establishing a facility to help operators buy new aircraft.
In addition, it proposes a targeted marketing campaign to inform recreational aviators of the possibilities of aviation careers improved industry marketing to attract new participants and the development of strategies to attract and retain skilled employees.
Source: Flight International
