The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) represents more than 100,000 pilots from the Member Associations (MAs) of nearly 100 countries worldwide. NZALPA is one of the MAs and at present we represent some 2,200 of those pilots (our ATC members have their own federation, IFATCA).

To remain a member of this exclusive club, NZALPA has to pay an annual fee which is calculated on the basis of the number of active (flying) members. This fee was nearly $75,000 for the 2023 year. On occasion, I have been asked the question as to whether I believe this represents value for money and what tangible returns we obtain from this association?

IFALPA describes its mission as promotion of ‘the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be
the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services and support to both our members and the aviation industry’. In real terms, membership provides NZALPA with mutual support, regional and world-wide representation, access to contacts around the globe and, at every level (within the industry, but also with regulators and governments), an enormous resource of experience and expertise on all aviation-related topics, as well as leverage.

For the benefit of those interested, and particularly our newer members, it’s probably worth fleshing this out a little.

I am sure that most of you are aware of the mutual assistance requests that are published from time to
time. These provide support to a Member Association when there is dispute with an airline, for instance to request a hiring ban to prevent pilots from other member groups from undermining the rights of those affected. In fact, there are many more mutual assistance requests than you might imagine. One of my tasks as IFALPA Director is to sort through the incoming emails and determine their relevance, otherwise your inboxes would be bombarded.

Likewise, there is a constant stream of safety and operational information that IFALPA publishes on a time- critical basis. Much of this never reaches our members if it is deemed irrelevant (to NZ based pilots) after being vetted by myself or the various NZALPA subject matter experts, such as our Technical Director – but rest assured that the wheels are turning behind the scenes. (However, if you do have a special interest in the current state of the airspace around Ukraine, let me know!).

Access to international contacts and resources is of huge benefit. For instance, as a result of attending the last IFALPA Conference in Singapore, our President was invited to attend the USALPA (ALPA) annual conference in Washington. ALPA, representing pilots in the USA and Canada, has more than 66,000 members and an annual budget of around $250m. Andrew has returned from that forum with some new ideas about the way we could – and perhaps should – better serve our members and the wider aviation community. He has also been offered their assistance to achieve this, should we need to call upon it. In short, although we are dramatically smaller  and work in a different industrial and geographical environment, there is much to be learned and gained from working more closely with our colleagues overseas.

One excellent example, recently under media scrutiny here in New Zealand, is security. Although NZALPA has a Security Officer and the portfolio currently sits under  the technical arena alongside safety, the Americans take this topic so seriously that you might say that they have it as one of the pillars of their organisation, having a Security Council and holding regular Aviation Security forums. This is due, in part, to the fact that ALPA sponsors a ‘Known Crewmember’ system in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Although this is by no means perfect, it by and large works well to expedite screening and minimise powders, liquids, aerosols and gels (PLAGs) restrictions for security-cleared crewmembers. This is an acknowledgment of the fact that pilots aren’t the enemy, or to be treated with suspicion, but in fact are implicitly trustworthy – the eyes and ears of front-line security and well placed to have a positive impact. A philosophy very different to that encountered in Australasia.

I’m sure that you’ve recently become aware of the failings of New Zealand’s Aviation Security Service (Avsec) to uphold their duty of care to both us and the travelling public. Although we had already engaged with Avsec, prior to their recent audit, it came as quite a shock to find just how far they had dropped the ball. Whilst we had been focused on their, sometimes petty, treatment of our members and the idiocy of some of the rules that they enforce, the holes found in their screening procedures (albeit that they argue that there were other controls in place) left most of us dumbfounded. For this reason, NZALPA has again called for a review and intends to keep a much keener eye on security issues than we have in the past. We will draw upon contacts from IFALPA, ICAO and the TSA. It is also our intention to explore a system such as the Known Crew Member (KCM) program, although don’t hold your breath.

The importance of an efficient security service, and membership of a well- connected international association such as IFALPA, is plainly apparent when you consider the potential situations that those of our members who operate internationally have exposure to, on a daily basis. Pilots and their crew blast off into the blue for their employers, operating to manuals and contracts brimming with good intention. But the reality can

be very different on arrival overseas, as many of us encountered during COVID when we realised we were very much on our own. Consider the Canadian crew who have now been held in the Dominican Republic for seven months, after discovering and then reporting contraband found on their aircraft. The bulk of the support that they have received has originated from ALPA Canada which continues to explore every diplomatic and legal channel to bring them home in the face of lethargy from the Canadian government. If I were caught in a similar situation overseas, I’d be very glad that NZALPA has links to other member associations and diplomatic contacts, via IFALPA!

For some years now, NZALPA has acted as the ‘Voice of Aviation’ in New Zealand. We are not just a union, but
a professional association and, as I’ve said before, we comprise and represent the largest single repository of aviation expertise in the country – our pilot and ATC members. It is for this reason that we are prepared to do more than simply maintain a watching brief. We will take on issues of concern, not only to our members but also to the travelling public, such as we did with the Wellington Runway End Safety Area (RESA) case. We are well resourced and funded, have a team of specialist lawyers in-house and, importantly, access to IFALPA support, which brings the majority of the developed world’s pilots (and more than a handful from developing nations – who in turn need our support) and their influence into the mix.