New Aviation Security Laws claim first victim.

GOANA Australian Air Safaris, world leader in fly-yourself air safaris catering for foreign pilots wishing to enjoy the world’s best flying conditions has had to announce cessation of its business from the end of 2005 when new aviation security laws take effect.

Mal Shipton, who began the operation with wife Marjorie in 1993, said changes to the way in which Special Pilot Licences are treated meant that in a time sensitive business such as providing flying vacations, licencing has become logistically near impossible.

Under the new legislation, foreign pilots can no longer have a licence issued prior to arrival or processed ready for pick up even though all required details are available to Australian authorities well beforehand. Time poor clients simply cannot spend half their vacation waiting for paperwork after their arrival.

“We have never taken risks on safety with maintenance, fuel or weather and simply cannot accept the risk of non delivery of paperwork in a timely manner” Shipton said.

“It is easy to see a situation arise where some clients were unable, after travelling half way around the world, to join a tour which then had to be run at a loss with the remaining clients.”

Despite desperate pleas for assurance that the unintended effects of the legislation would be able to be circumvented, numerous letters to the Minister (initially Hon John Anderson and now Hon Warren Truss) written in April through October went unanswered and unacknowledged. 

Only with the intervention of the Commonwealth Ombudsman was an answer forthcoming which gave no positive hope of change on this requirement although there have been a number of ad hoc changes to the legislation generally.

The final tour of almost 200 total arrived back at GOANA’s Redcliffe (Brisbane) base on Nov 14 ending what was an unusually successful General Aviation enterprise.

GOANA was the largest company of its type in the world, has brought millions of export dollars to Australia and has an enviable record of never having had any client injure themselves in over 40, 000 flying hours.

Further information or detail at www.goana.com.au