Question
on Notice: Aviation: Air Safety and Cabin Air Quality
Questioner Vamvakinou, Maria, MP (Calwell, ALP,
Opposition)
Date
Database House
Hansard
Aviation:
Air Safety and Cabin Air Quality
(Question No.
3011)
Ms
Vamvakinou asked the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, upon
notice, on
(1)In respect of the quality and safety
of cabin air in Australian commercial aircraft can he confirm whether any
Australian registered airlines regularly monitor cabin air quality on (a)
domestic and (b) international flights.
(2)What air quality inspections are
performed following reports of unknown fumes in aircraft cabins such as that
reported on the Qantas Melbourne-Perth flight on
(3)What noxious
fumes (a) might, and (b) have found their way into aircraft cabins during
flights.
(4)What new technologies, such as
infrared testers or spectrometers, have been investigated to ensure regular
mid-flight air quality monitoring.
Mr Anderson
—The answer to the honourable member's question is as
follows:
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority
(CASA) and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) have provided advice
as follows.
(1)(a) and (b)
All instances of smoke or fumes in the aircraft cabin that adversely affect the
quality of cabin air on Australian registered aircraft operating domestically or
internationally, are categorised by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as a
`Major Defect'. In accordance with `Major Defect' reporting requirements, the
operator is required to investigate the cause of the cabin air event, rectify
any identified defect(s) and take action to prevent recurrence.
Details of the defect(s) are required to
be communicated to CASA where the receipt of these reports is monitored. If
defect trends are identified through this process, action is taken by CASA to
alert the Certificating Authority of the reported defect, and through such
means as Airworthiness Directives, maintenance requirements are imposed to
ensure the safe operation of future flights.
Further information on the Major Defect
reporting process is available in Civil Aviation Advisory Publication (CAAP)
51-1 or on the CASA website at www.casa.gov.au.
(2)For the majority of aircraft, there
are no procedures, mandated by CASA or any other major Regulatory Authority
relating to the performance of air quality inspections. However, aircraft
manufacturers typically publish inspections and procedures to search for likely
causes of unwanted fumes.
With respect to the operation of the BAe
146 aircraft, an Airworthiness Directive has been issued by CASA mandating
inspections for contamination in the aircraft's Environmental Control System.
AD/BAE/146/86 requires that at any time cabin air contamination is suspected to
be associated with engine oil an inspection and subsequent reparation work are
required. A detailed report must be provided to the United Kingdom Civil
Aviation Authority (the aircraft's Certificating Authority) and CASA. A copy of
tis Airworthiness Directive is available from the CASA website at
www.casa.gov.au/avre/aircraft/ad/schedules/ad_display.asp?sched=over&toc=BAE146.
(3)(a) and (b) The majority of instances
of fumes in cabin air of Australian registered aircraft during flights have
emanated from various sources including from types of heated turbine engine and
hydraulic oils; from airconditioning problems (such as heat exchangers after
being cleaned with cleaning products); from fumes or smells from the galley or
ovens; and from overheating or shorting electrical components.
(4)There are diverging views on the
quality standard to be adopted for aircraft cabin air and international studies
are currently underway to review emerging technologies and determine their
applicability and appropriateness to the aviation cabin air environment.
The American Society for Heating and
Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE) has been tasked to arrive at an agreed view,
acceptable to the major aviation regulatory agencies, aircraft manufacturers,
consumer groups, trade unions and various other interested parties. The final
meeting to adopt the standard was held on
CASA, and the Cabin Air Quality Reference
Group, established in accordance with the outcomes of the Senate Rural and
Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee report to Parliament on Air
Safety and Cabin Air Quality in the BAe 146 Aircraft, are waiting for the
agreed standard before undertaking measures to ensure compliance with this
standard through in-flight data acquisition or other appropriate means.