A380 A WAKE UP CALL ON PASSENGER PROCESSING As Australians

As Australians farewell the new Airbus A380 passenger jet, TTF Australia (Tourism and Transport Forum) is calling on the Government to remain focused on passenger processing issues.

TTF Managing Director, Christopher Brown, said the approaching arrival of the Airbus mega jets in Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Emirates livery, combined with a steady growth of passengers travelling through Australian airports, will place increasing pressure on already constrained airport processing facilities.

“The inbound economic value of tourism is forecast to be $6.6 billion in 2014 at a 6.4% average growth rate per year (Tourism Forecasting Committee, October 2005). However, this relies on the strength of the underpinning infrastructure,” said Mr Brown. “The ability to process passengers quickly and efficiently through airports is key to securing this growth.

“The reality for the majority of passengers entering or exiting Australia through international airports is inadequate Customs, Immigration and Quarantine processing. Constrained facilities result in consistent delays and failure to achieve the Government’s own standard of processing 95 per cent of passengers within 30 minutes of arrival at the entry control point. “This is unacceptable.

The airlines pay delay penalty fees and airports have to deal with stranded passengers when they miss onward flights. Departing foreign and Australian travellers pay a $38 departure tax at international airports to cover passenger processing costs, yet Federal agencies are not delivering adequate services. “The sight of the Airbus A380, with its capacity for more than 800 passengers per flight, has been a clear reminder of the growth that tourism can deliver.

TTF is asking the Government to provide the investment needed to sustain the projected growth, and/or simply spend the departure tax on the services it is intended to deliver. “TTF is calling for a review of Customs, Immigration and Quarantine processing, to develop performance standards and subsequent measurement during peak period demand.

There is a need to increase staffing, resources and support for inbound and outbound screening and now is the time for the Government to respond by delivering better passenger processing as a priority,” Mr Brown said.