QPC Briefing No 10 2025
Aerobridge Safety
We would like to express our sympathy to our colleague who was recently injured falling from an aerobridge while at work at Sydney Domestic Terminal. Qantas has assured all staff via email that, following the shocking incident, all aerobridges around the network were inspected and passed. However, the AFAP is aware of at least two more aerobridges that have since been identified as deficient.
The AFAP has written to Qantas Safety regarding this matter, requesting documentation of the initial inspections, details of the deficiencies found, and ongoing risk assessments of the continued use of aerobridges.
Everyone deserves to go home safely from work each day. Aviation involves numerous risks, both in the air and on the ground. It the Company’s duty to manage these risks and the AFAP will ensure that this is being done.
Short Haul Implementation Summary
Short Haul pilots will know that EA9 has come into effect as of 16 May 2025. Pay rises will be in effect from 16 June 2025. A range of other conditions are either in effect or will become effective over the coming months.
The AFAP has created a summary document of the primary changes that is available
here.
Jury Duty
We are currently assisting a Short Haul member with ensuring they are correctly paid for Jury Duty Leave. This issue is currently in dispute with Qantas and in particular concerns the period of summons to attend court to participate in jury selection. If anyone else has taken jury duty leave recently, we would be interested to hear from you about how it was paid and how your time away from work was organised. Please email Legal/Industrial Officer Patrick Larkins,
patrick@afap.org.au
Lack of Ad Hoc Leave at Qantas Short Haul
The AFAP is aware that in a number of bases and categories, Ad Hoc leave has not been granted to any pilots across a number of bid periods despite divisors being relatively low and ‘names in the book’ still being quite high. We are currently collecting data on this. If anyone has been denied Ad Hoc leave this year, please email the QPC with the time you wanted off and where you sat on the seniority list at the time,
qpc@afap.org.au.
Accommodation Issues
We all know the hotels that leave a little less to be desired. Unfortunately, when speaking with the Company, they are often unaware of these complaints. The Company tracks accommodation issues via Intelex reports and we must provide this data if we want things to change.
We understand the report fatigue we all have. However, changing crew hotels is a big undertaking for the Company, and they will only do this with sufficient data. Please continue to report accommodation issues via Intelex and forward those reports to
qpc@afap.org.au so we can track them as well.
IFALPA Fatigue Management Course
Recently, QPC Committee Member Rob Close attended the IFALPA Fatigue Risk Management Course, held at the AFAP Brisbane office. Also in attendance were two AIPA representatives, AFAP representatives from airlines across the country, RFDS pilots and management and members of the Qantas fatigue team as well as CASA and the NZCAA.
The course, presented by NZALPA’s Mark Glover and the AFAP’s Lachlan Gray, provides attendees with the latest best practice information for effective Fatigue Management programs.
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) is a global body where pilot unions from across the world can share knowledge and advocate together to international bodies such as ICAO and the ILO. The AFAP and AIPA together are members of this organisation through their joint safety and technical body, AusALPA.
Members with fatigue concerns should address them through the Company fatigue reporting process. However, if members have queries or would like further support, they should email
qpc@afap.org.au.
Questions and Feedback
For further information or if you have any questions please contact your AFAP Qantas Pilot Council at
qpc@afap.org.au, or the AFAP legal and industrial team of Senior Legal/ Industrial Officer Pat Larkins (
patrick@afap.org.au), Senior Industrial Officer Deanna Cain (
deanna@afap.org.au) or Executive Director Simon Lutton (
simon@afap.org.au).
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan – Chair
Mark Gilmour – Vice- Chair
Michael Armessen – Committee Member
David LaPorte – Committee Member
Josh Chalmers – Committee Member
Rob Close – Committee Member