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Passenger jets landed at a major Queensland airport without a single firefighter on duty over the peak summer period in an alarming revelation just weeks after a plane burst into flames on a runway in Japan.
The United Firefighters Union is accusing Australia's airspace regulator of compromising passenger safety after revealing some flights at the Sunshine Coast airport have been arriving in breach of regulations.
Five Boeing 737 aircraft landed at the airport in the past two months without any firefighters on the tarmac, while a further 59 planes arrived with insufficient firefighters working.
Airport firefighters are a specialised national crew employed by government-owned Airservices Australia, separate to state and territory fire authorities.
The union's aviation secretary Wes Garrett said Airservices and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) are failing passengers by allowing planes to operate without emergency crews on site.
"We've had five flights since December where there has been no coverage at all, no aviation firefighters on the ground," he said.
"We've had 59 aircraft over that period where there is below the required number of firefighters on the deck when these passenger aircraft either arrive or depart.
"That is absolutely a breach of the regulations.
"This is a risk to air travellers, but it's [also] a risk to firefighters if the worst was to occur."
In a statement an Airservices spokesperson said firefighting services are provided at Sunshine Coast airport during operating hours, from 6:15am until between 9:30pm and 11:25pm.
"An airline may choose to operate outside of these published operational hours," the spokesperson said.
However, aviation safety laws stipulate firefighting services are "required for the duration of air transport operations including delayed flights".
Safety authority tipped off by union
CASA mandates that when the firefighting service is available "there must be enough trained [firefighting] personnel available at the aerodrome to operate the equipment and vehicles required to provide the service at full capacity".
It said it learned about the allegations of firefighter shortages from the union on Friday.
"CASA is looking into these allegations and will take action as needed to ensure the ongoing safety of the travelling public," a spokesman said.
The ABC asked CASA whether Airservices self-reported the shortage, and whether CASA will publish any action it takes.
CASA has not yet responded.
The five flights that landed without any firefighters on duty were Bonza flights on December 7, 20, two on the 21st, and January 8.
The 59 flights that landed or departed with insufficient firefighters included Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, and Bonza aircraft in December and January.
The dispute comes in the context of ongoing employee bargaining negotiations between Airservices and the union.
Up to 100 airport firefighters left Airservices nationally during the pandemic when the number of flights plummeted, but as air traffic resumed at peak levels a shortage of trained crews emerged.
Airservices said it meets its regulatory obligations and is training more recruits, with 48 people to join the 830 existing firefighters later this year.
"Airservices regularly reviews traffic patterns, aircraft size, and frequency of movements, and adjusts its service levels and hours of operation accordingly," the spokesperson said.
Mr Garrett said airlines are notified if the firefighting service is withdrawn, leaving them with the decision of whether to proceed with landing a plane at an airport without emergency crews.
The service is only withdrawn as a last resort when the on-duty crew have worked 18 hours straight and when no other crews can be recalled for overtime to relieve them, he said.
New base increases traffic
Mr Garrett said the firefighter shortage on the Sunshine Coast is partially due to new budget airline Bonza establishing its base there, substantially increasing the overall number of flights operating at the airport.
This has caused the airport's effective operating hours to extend, stretching its firefighting capacity.
Each of the three crews is meant to have six firefighters, with the union is pushing for a fourth crew to fill another roster rotation based on the increased operating hours.
"They are getting absolutely strung out trying to provide this service. What's required is a fourth crew, simple, and the problem goes away," Mr Garrett said.
"It's running too thin. There are no people to do the overtime and therefore these holes start opening up.
"Airservices has given a directive to withdraw the service. It's unprecedented for us."
Mr Garrett said the firefighter shortage is causing problems nationally, not just in Queensland.
"Our staff are having problems accessing long service leave [and] annual leave because there is no capacity to be able to take it," he said.
"The overtime numbers are through the roof. We've got people that are working 20-25 shifts in a row.
"There's a lot of strong recruiting happening from Airservices' perspective, but you just can't turn the tap on. This is a highly skilled undertaking and it takes months and months to train people.
"So we've got a situation here where air traffic is now back to normal [but] we're still digging ourselves out of that staffing hole.
"Compliance with the regulatory settings in this country — the law — there's never been a problem with it before.
"We've had aviation rescue firefighting services since about the early to mid-1950s and we've never had issues around providing staff, ever.
"We do now and something needs to be done about it."
The federal transport minister has been contacted for comment.
Bonza was also contacted for comment.
Sunshine Coast Airport said all flights are supported by Airservices' firefighters, with extra support provided by Queensland emergency services.
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