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Aviation History
1996
1996 - 0093.PDF
ASM that the aviation infrastructure is surviving only through die deter mination of dedicated and well- trained public servants to delay its collapse. Parliamentarians responsible for providing a bud get, however, appear to be less highly motivated. Without their support, die public servants will eventually lose the battle against the compounding problems which have their roots in law and order, government interference, and economic mismanagement. The problems include: • available runway lengths being advised as permanently reduced by secondary growth infringe ments; • several airfields being unavailable to heavier aircraft because of deteriorating surfaces; • bulletins warning of pigs and dogs on run ways because of unrepaired fencing; • numerous navigation aids being listed as per manently unserviceable, "on test", or "pilot monitored". On a December preflight-information bul letin in for the capital, Port Moresby, two ATC frequencies were unavailable, four radio-navi gation aids were eidier unavailable or flagged as unreliable, taxiways were out of service, wide- body aircraft required towing on the apron because of surface condition and even one of the windsocks was reported to be unserviceable. NOTAMs commonly warn of such deficiencies, and CAA staff are kept busy approving dispen sations, some of which are longstanding. Meanwhile, the military is faring no better. The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) Air Transport Squadron has for lengthy periods suffered 100% unserviceability of its small fleet of CASA C.212s, Israel Aircraft Industries Aravas and Bell Iroquois helicopters. At other times, aircraft have been serviceable, but there has been no money for fuel. Two Iroquois and two of a fleet of three Aravas have been pressed back into service, largely to support die force's continuing conflict widi secessionists on the island of Bougainville. The CASAs, which have not been flown since September 1994, are being given low priority, and may never be flown again unless at least preservative maintenance is carried out. The last Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)- qualified flying instructor on loan to die PNGDF left in December and is not being replaced. Most of die PNGDF pilots have now also left die service and are flying for civil carri ers. Hangar workers, left with nothing to do, are eidier leaving, or simply not reporting for duty. Many airfields which are basic to the RAAF's contingency plans for emergency civil- defence aid are now withdrawn from availabili ty to Lockheed Martin C-130s because of deteriorating surfaces. Air Niugini has now advised the regulator PNGDF Arava with rocket hardpointsfitted, but never used that it is no longer willing to operate on the basis of long-term dispensations, and has been forced to curtail night operations to airports odier dian Port Moresby. The airline has shown growing concern at deteriorating infrastructure standards and, despite offered dispensations, has refused to begin Fokker F28 services to two new destinations until glidepadi-guidance lighting is installed. The airline had its first hull loss when one of its F28s was written off after overrunning Madang's runway into shallow sea water in an aquaplaning incident in May 1995. A preliminary report into die incident names as contributory factors two infrastructural aspects: the control tower was unmanned so diat no weadier or runway-condition informa tion was available to the crew, and water is being retained in deepening lengdiwise depressions in die areas of heaviest runway use. BUREAUCRATIC TANGLE At a time when civil aviation needs structured leadership more than ever, PNG's Government has now downgraded the DCA to an "Office of Civil Aviation" (OCA), incorporated in the transport department. Until die resulting bureaucratic tangle has been resolved, die new organisation (at least temporarily) has no authority to hire urgendy needed contract air- Talair's Twin Otters no longer fly in PNG worthiness and flying-operations inspectors. Meanwhile, says a Port Moresby OCA source, "...at some ATC and flight-service centres, which are already seriously overloaded by die shutdown of odiers, staff levels are at only 25-50% of establish ment. In die flight operations and airworthiness areas, we're well below 50% of establishment, mainly because we can't hire con tract officers." It is not only bureaucracy which is holding back recruitment. The devaluation, deepening concerns about law and order, rising living costs, and political pressure to "nationalise" key positions have rendered conditions increas ingly less attractive to expatriate staff. National staff, accustomed to the more orderly past, are also leaving. Although Air Niugini general manager Dieter Seefeld has flagged replacement of the domestic fleet — eight F28s and two de Havilland Canada Dash 7s — as part of a five- year corporate plan, die carrier has no prospect of implementing the much-needed upgrade until PNG's aviation infrastructure and other factors improve. Most of the country's runways are already marginal for die existing fleet, and manufacturers have told the airline that diey are out of die question for more modern replace ments with higher tyre pressures. Air Niugini has also turned in poor results because the Government, while persistently ruling out fare increases, continues to demand diat it provide jet services at unrealistic frequen cies, many over routes of less than 370km (200nm). A belated 10% fare rise, approved this month, will do little to soften the effect of a 3 3 % devaluation of the national currency on the price of fuel, spares and expatriate labour, and Air Niugini cannot realistically plan to fund new equipment. When warned by the former chairman of the National Airlines Commission (Air Nuigini's governing body) that these fac tors, along with unpaid Government travel debts and gross undercapitalisation had brought Air Niugini "close to collapse," Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan's response was to fire the entire board and install a new one, which is under stood now to be giving him the same message. All diose factors have already caused the clo sure in 1993 of Talair, PNG's biggest supple mental airline, when its owner, Sir Dennis Buchanan, decided that 35 years of airline development was enough, handed in his oper ating certificate, stood down his 1,000-plus staff, and flew his fleet of 23 de Havilland Twin Otters and Embraer Bandeirantes to Australia for disposal. Since then, the indifferent safety record of the hastily formed local-service air lines which grew up in Talair's shadow has been compounded by die desperate shortage of reg ulatory staff. Q FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 10 -16 January 1996 39
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