Airservices figures suggest ILS agreement ‘stretched’

AIRSERVICES has claimed that “nothing more can be done” about planes using the new ILS landing system (GCB, 6/5).

In fact Airservices appear to possibly be playing fast and loose with the legal compromise which was reached over the issue.

The reason given to install the ILS was to reduce flight diversions due to poor weather. During the period 2/3/19 to 3/4/19, there were 61 uses of the ILS according to figures released by Airservices. Only two were for unexplained operational reasons. Who knows if they were emergencies and presented a danger below?

So they would have us believe that had the ILS not been available, that there would have been 59 diversions from the Gold Coast in just one month due to the weather. Highly unlikely.

Interestingly, of these 61 landings, 31 were Jetstar, 16 Virgin, six Tiger Air, and only four for Qantas.

From their own documents, the ILS can be used when the cloud base is lower than 244m, and/or visibility from the control tower is less than 4km.

Yet information from their own weather reports show that on 27 of these landings, visibility was 10 km or more. Nine reports show the weather as partly or mostly cloudy or overcast, 18 show light rain, with only 19 showing heavy rain.

Airservices have been left to self-assess their adherence to the legal agreement, and so far there is a question as to whether they are acting in good faith.

IAN TIMMINS, MERMAID BEACH