Preliminary Pages
Membership of the Committee
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Chair
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Ms Sharon Bird MP
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Deputy
Chair
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Mr Paul Neville MP
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Members
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Mr Paul Fletcher MP
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Mr Robert Oakeshott MP
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Mr Ed Husic MP
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Mrs Jane Prentice MP
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Mr Stephen Jones MP
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Mr Mike Symon MP
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Committee Secretariat
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Secretary
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Ms Julia Morris
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Researcher
Officers
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Mr Shane Armstrong
Mr James Nelson
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Administrative
Officers
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Ms Tamara Palmer
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Mr Peter Pullen
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Terms of reference
The Committee is to inquire into the assignment and ratio of
cabin crew to those aircraft that require the carriage of cabin crew under
current regulations.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is currently
considering a regulatory proposal that addresses the assignment of cabin crew
members to aircraft that require that carriage of cabin crew. Under the current
arrangements, operators of Australian domestic aircraft carrying more than 15
but not more than 216 passengers are required to carry at least one cabin crew
member for each 36 passengers or part thereof 1:36).
Since 2006, CASA has permitted a number of Australian
operators to operate certain aircraft with a ratio of one cabin crew member up
to a maximum of 50 passenger seats.
CASA has proposed to implement the 1:50 cabin crew-passenger
seat ratio for aircraft configurations of between 20 and 216 passengers with
the gaining of approval conditional upon on an operator having in place a
CASA-approved safety management risk plan.
In response to this proposal, a number of issues have been
raised, which would benefit from further consideration.
The Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications
will inquire into and report on:
the current aviation
safety regulatory system for aircraft operators in relation to the application
of the cabin crew to passenger ratio including current exemption provisions;
the role of cabin
crew in managing both passenger safety and security;
the factors that
determine the cabin crew to passenger ratio;
domestic and
international practice in respect of cabin crew to passenger ratios; and
measures to enhance
aviation safety that may be considered in future requirements on aircraft
operators for a safety risk management plan covering the cabin crew to
passenger ratio.
List of recommendations
Recommendation 1
That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Office of
Transport Safety work together to determine an appropriate level of passenger
compartment security for Australian domestic flights, taking into account
previous incidents both in Australia and abroad.
Recommendation 2
That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority consider passenger
compartment security in any future review of cabin crew ratios.
Recommendation 3
That, prior to finalising the process, the Civil Aviation Safety
Authority publish on its website all non-confidential submissions made to it
through the Notice of Proposed Rule Making process.
Recommendation 4
That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority advertise Notices of
Proposed Rule Making that directly affect passengers in publications that are
widely read by the travelling public, such as in-flight magazines, and that
CASA seek submissions from the public into the advertised Notices of Proposed
Rule Making.
Recommendation 5
That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority ensure that Australia
becomes compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s
Standards and Recommended Practices relating to cabin crew flight and duty time
limitations as a matter of priority.
Recommendation 6
That the Civil Aviation Safety Authority cease providing new
exemptions to the 1:36 cabin crew ratio currently mandated by Civil Aviation
Order 20.16.3, and that all exemptions to the Order currently in place not be
renewed upon expiry.
Recommendation 7
That the 1:36 ratio be retained until such a time that it can
be demonstrated that a change to a 1:50 cabin crew ratio in Australia will not
result in reduced levels of safety or security.