This is a transcript of The World Today broadcast at 12:10 AEST on local radio.
Senate inquiry recommends grounding aircraft
The World Today - Thursday, October 12, 2000 12:28
COMPERE: Well, a Senate inquiry has recommended the grounding of a popular commercial aircraft in Australia if problems with contamination of cabin air can't be fixed.
The BAE-146 is used extensively, particularly in regional Australia. The problems is pilots and flight attendants have consistently reported symptoms ranging from nausea to blackouts attributed to engine oil contaminating the engine airconditioning system which goes into the cabin. Some say the effects are so bad that they've been left unable to work and with permanent disabilities.
As chief political correspondent Phillip Williams reports for us, the inquiry has been scathing about the role of the Civil Aviation Authority.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: The BAE-146 has been the aircraft of choice off the main routes, particularly for the regional milk runs. The major airlines would be lost without them. But without them they may have to be ? at least some of the aircraft.
The Senate report has found that exposure to fumes in aircraft cabin air has caused short- and medium-term health problems. And many suspect long-term problems as well, with some flight attendants and pilots saying the neuro-toxic effects of the engine oil contamination has left them permanently disabled and out of a job.
One of those is pilot Susan Markelis:
SUSAN MARKELIS: When I was entering the aircraft environment I very frequently got headaches; fatigue; eye, nose and throat irritations; and concentration problems. And this would start on entering the aircraft air, and it would finish soon after leaving the aircraft for the day.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: You've been taken out of the air. You've lost your licence?
SUSAN MARKELIS: That's correct. I am no longer able to fly, and have been told that I'm unlikely to fly again. And I am not the only person for this to have happened to.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: And you blame this aircraft absolutely for everything?
SUSAN MARKELIS: Absolutely.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: While the airlines and manufacturer denied there was an ongoing problem which threatened the health and safety of all on board, the inquiry has recommended what amounts to a grounding of any aircraft with a fume problem. Driving the whole issue ? committee chairman, Democrat Senator John Woodley.
JOHN WOODLEY: What we have said is that they should cease operational flying in those aircraft where a problem still remains, and that that problem must be fixed immediately before they fly again.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: What's the conclusion of the danger faced if nothing's done, if the system is left simply as it is?
JOHN WOODLEY: Well, that was a big debate in the committee, and also in the evidence we were given ? a debate about whether the health problem which was identified by everyone was also a safety problem. In my mind there is no difference. If people have got health problems because of flying in these aircraft, then that is also a safety problem, particularly as it effects pilots and flight attendants.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: We've also got a regulation problem as far as you're concerned, haven't we, with the way this whole issue has been handled by the Civil Aviation Authority?
JOHN WOODLEY: Absolutely. And I think that's where most of our recommendations are aimed at, and that is that CASA was given a incident report by BASI with certain recommendations in it, and CASA said they didn't need to do anything about it.
We've told them they must go back and reassess that incident report and those recommendations from BASI, and they also need to regulate in a whole series of areas, including those aircraft which continue to report fumes. And that's where the whole grounding issue comes in.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: Have the airlines in effect tried to cover this problem up?
JOHN WOODLEY: Let me give a tick to Ansett particularly, because Ansett has spent millions of dollars and gave the committee tremendous cooperation so that we could understand the problem. However, we've not agreed with Ansett in terms of a number of issues. And we have made strong recommendations that CASA should regulate and that the National Health and Medical Research Council has to look at this problem and come up with some proper signs to give us an indication one way or the other.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: And if there's a problem on those planes, they stay on the ground until that problem is fixed?
JOHN WOODLEY: That's what we have recommended, undoubtedly.
PHILLIP WILLIAMS: It's now up to the Transport Minister John Anderson to respond. Will he ground the planes that service many bush areas; or will he side with the airlines, who have argued they've done everything possible to fix the problem and there was no reason to clip their wings now?
COMPERE: Phillip Williams in Canberra.
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