Fed: Airservices shelves control tower plans

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Fed: Airservices shelves control tower plans

CANBERRA, Aug 25 AAP - Airservices Australia has abandoned plans to close air trafficcontrol facilities in key cities for at least five years.

The national air traffic control body was seeking to integrate its terminal facilitiesin Sydney, Adelaide and Perth to the Melbourne operations centre.

Airservices said it would pursue integration of terminal control units by 2012 butno staff would be forced to transfer before September 1, 2008.

The Airservices board, which met last week, opted to shelve the plans to move servicesto the Melbourne facility and instead focus on measures to improve efficiency at the existingcontrol towers.

"These short-term measures are expected to deliver annual savings in excess of $5 millionand greater operational efficiencies without creating instability for our people, theirfamilies, customers and the community," Airservices chief Bernie Smith said in a statement.

The board also agreed to transfer traffic control unit management and support functionsat Sydney to Melbourne.

Sydney Airport Tower Operations would be transferred to the Airport Services Business Group.

Mr Smith said the measures follow consultation with key stakeholders including staff,unions and customers.

"The long-term approach adopted by the board would allow greater staff certainty abouttheir future job location," Mr Smith said.

But Labor's transport spokesman Martin Ferguson said the decision to defer closureof traffic control units in key cities was not good enough.

"There is significant and widespread concern about the safety implications and joblosses involved in this proposal ... ," Mr Ferguson said.

"Labor firmly opposes these massive changes to air traffic control and calls on theHoward government to categorically rule them out now."

A spokesman for Transport Minister John Anderson said the government backed Airservices'decision and Mr Ferguson was being short-sighted.

"The deputy prime minister fully supports the board's decision and utterly rejectsthe suggestion that Airservices should rule it out forever," the spokesman said.

"For political reasons and to protect his trade union mates, Martin Ferguson wantsto lock Airservices into its current technology and cost structures forever at a timewhen air traffic control technology and information technology is becoming dramaticallycheaper and dramatically faster with every passing year."

AAP sal/sb/jnb/bwl

KEYWORD: TRAFFIC