The concern related to the lack of notice given by Airservices management in regards to the implementation of new procedures or change to existing procedures.
The reporter expressed a safety concern regarding the lack of notice given by Airservices management in regards to the implementation of new procedures or change to existing procedures.
The reporter advised that controllers were advised of an amendment to IMA V25-02 at 1624 pm (Local time) on Wednesday the 13th of November and the changes came into force at 0300 (Local time) on Thursday the 14th of November. These amendments were detailing changes to the separation between parachutists and aircraft in controlled airspace.
The reporter is concerned that as no advance notice was given, controllers may not have been aware of the changes and would not be applying the same procedures and radio transmissions, and that as procedures had not been developed they may not have been using the system uniformly to ensure that handover / takeover procedures were followed.
In addition to this, the parachute operators had not been made aware of the procedural changes. The reporter commented that overnight prior notification of changes in procedures is grossly inadequate, and falls far short of Airservices rhetoric of 'Best Practice'. In addition to this the parachute operators had not been made aware of the procedural changes.
Airservices Australia (Airservices) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the reported concern regarding the lack of notice for the implementation of new procedures.
Airservices would like to clarify that the Interim MATS Amendments (IMA) are used to disseminate information of a safety critical nature which generally cannot wait for a new version of the MATS document. This is an established practice.
The changes covered by IMA V25-02 included withdrawal of the ability for ATC to use certain reports to determine parachutists clear of control area (CTA) and increased the separation required to be applied to parachutists. These changes were required to be made without delay to ensure alignment of ATC procedures to the requirements of Australian Parachuting Federation Pilots and Aircraft Operations Manual and Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) Part 172. The IMA did not alter the requirements for parachutists under the existing regulations or Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).
As in many cases, there is a minimum lead time for consultation with ATC regarding IMA changes and ATC must assimilate the new procedures on publishing of the IMA. In the case of IMA V25-02, some lead time was provided to reduce the risk of changing procedures when current parachuting operations were underway.
Controllers are required to read and sign an operational register prior to commencing duty.
This ensures that new information is obtained by every controller at the commencement of shift. In this case, all ATC who were on duty at the time the IMA became effective would be in receipt of the information.
Airservices agrees that prior notification to operators would have been desirable, and that this would have resulted in a smoother change process from the operators' perspective.
CASA has reviewed the REPCON and notes Airservices response. CASA will include the information provided in the REPCON in planning and prioritisation of surveillance activities relating to Airservices.