The union of Australia’s biggest and busiest airport has raised the alarm over safety concerns following two near-miss plane incidents earlier this week. Sydney Airport Union Secretary Robert Car raised security issues from its members adding to a growing list of concerns that plagued Sydney Airport this week.Mr Car said members of the volunteer run union believed Sydney Airport was “not safe to the travelling public.”“The blame lies squarely with Sydney Airport and the contractors they use who are cutting costs so aggressively that situations like the near-miss plane incidents will only become more common,” he told NewsWire.“For example, Certis Security under the nose of Sydney Airport do not even properly check Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC) security passes anymore due to staff cuts for more profit.“An ASIC can be dropped in a public area, picked up by anyone, and used to get into the so-called security secure areas.“The situation at Certis Security is so bad, they will not even let their own workers have access to their safe operating procedures. “The plane near misses are only the tip of the iceberg. “The only solution is for workers to get organised, as clearly Sydney Airport and their contractors do not care about the safety of travelling public or Sydney Airport workers.”A Sydney Airport spokesman hit back at the union’s claims saying they took its “safety and security obligations extremely seriously.”Sydney Airport and its security partners operate under strict aviation security requirements and regulatory oversight, with robust security measures and procedures in place across the airport.“These claims are false and do not reflect the robust security measures, operational procedures and regulatory oversight in place across the airport,” a spokesman said. Certis Security have been contacted for comment.Airservices Australia said this week that it was working with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to “investigate recent incidents involving aircraft moving on the ground at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport”. “Safety is Airservices’ top priority and we are committed to working with all stakeholders including airlines, ground handlers, regulators and airport operators to keep the travelling public safe,” Airservices Australia said.Airservices Australia chief executive Rob Sharp told media safety was “absolutely No. 1” priority. “I can assure the public that we absolutely look at all of these incidents for any leanings and continue to improve,” he said.Airservices Australia has been working to strengthen controller numbers in Sydney, where shortages have forced staff to cover frequent shifts.Mr Sharp has been called in by NSW Transport Minister John Graham to provide assurances that operations at Sydney will run more smoothly over the coming month.The federal government also held crisis talks with Airservices Australia this week after two passenger jets narrowly avoided a ground collision and “unacceptable” flight delays at Sydney Airport last weekend.Two airport workers were stood down after a Jetstar A320 and a Qatar Airways 777 under tow were involved in a near ground collision at the airport. Transport Minister Catherine King said the Airport Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) would investigate if staffing issues were involved in the near miss incident.“There are incidents that do occur at airports all the time across the country. The ATSB needs to be allowed to do its investigation,” Ms King said.“Airservices Australia will co-operate co-operate fully with that investigation.”On Friday, it was revealed an aborted takeoff at Sydney Airport between a stationary aircraft that was at a “substantial distance” from a Qantas plane crossing ahead was not reported.Just two weeks earlier, on July 27, a QantasLink flight and a Qantas flight were involved in another near miss on the tarmac.Read related topics:Sydney
Union raises alarm over Sydney Airport
The union of Australia’s biggest and busiest airport has raised the alarm over safety concerns following two near-miss plane incidents earlier this week.










