A report released by the Bureau of Infrastructure Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) has detailed a decrease in general aviation activity for 2015.
Australian Aircraft Activity 2015 is the result of BITRE surveying all VH-registered aircraft owners to gauge hours flown, types of operations and numbers of landings. Data for self-administering organisations such as Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) are supplied by those organisations.
The report revealed that total GA flying activity decreased by 28,000 hours compared with the 2014 figures, which translates to a decline of 2.4%. In 2015 1108 thousand hours were reported against the 1136 thousand flown in 2014.
According to the BITRE figures, the largest contributor to the result was the flight training sector, which was down 5.6% from 324 thousand to 306 thousand hours.
The data has prompted the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA) to write to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester and CASA CEO Shane Carmody, laying the blame for the condition of general aviation at the feet of CASA.
"AOPA Australia and AMROBA agree that these declines are being deepened as a result of excess red tape and over-regulation of our industry by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority," the letter says.
"It is essential that the government now accept[s] industry decline as a fact and move to the next more important phase, which is consultation and recovery strategy planning. The AOPA Australia and AMROBA is ready and willing to assist you, we see this as an important opportunity to now put the argument of decline behind, enabling us to work collectively on developing a strategic plan that will enable transition to growth."
AOPA and AMROBA used the BITRE figures to calculate a total decline in flying hours in the 2010-15 period as 18%, which they say equates to a total economic loss of $500 million.
The BITRE report also showed that:
- Operations of sport and recreational aircraft increased 0.2% from 435 thousand to 436 thousand hours
- VH-registered aircraft numbers decreased 3.1%
- Single-engined fixed-wing numbers were down 2.7% to 8890
- Multi-engined fixed-wing numbers were down 4.3% to 2261
- Helicopter numbers were down 3.9% to 2011
- 2923 aircraft flew no hours in 2015, of which 47% were due to repair, maintenance or restoration
- RAAus aircraft numbers were up 4% to 3302, but flying hours reported were down 3% to 166 thousand.
BITRE noted that the return for the annual survey that made up the 2015 data was only 79%, which means that 21% of the actual activity remains unknown.
In August, BITRE is expected to complete and present to Minister Chester the results of a General Aviation Study commissioned last year. According to the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, the study aims to "provide a comprehensive overview of the GA industry and assist in identifying potential actions for both the GA industry and Government to consider."
The complete Australian Aircraft Activity 2015 is available for download from the BITRE website.