GAAC's open letters to Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Covid-19 Vaccination and Category 1-3 Medical Certificate Holders

13 GAAC members, lead by Aussie Freedom Flyers, engage Australia’s aviation regulator, CASA, with essential questions around the safe conduct of flight operations in the context of Covid-19 policy.

Read the letter (below) and contribute to the dialogue direct with CASA via email communication@casa.gov.au or this webform.

Letters are listed in reverse date order.

For the attention of:

Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Mark Binskin AC, Chair of the Board

Ms. Pip Spence PSM, Chief Executive Officer & Director of Aviation Safety

Mr. Michael Bridge

Ms. Donna Hardman

Ms. Elizabeth Hallett GAICD

Ms. Marilyn Andre

Dr. Felipe Gonzalez

Dr. Kate Manderson

Dr. Tony Hochsberg

Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Aviation House

16 Furzer Street

Phillip ACT 2606

June 26th, 2022

From: Global Aviation Advocacy Coalition

Sent by email and CASA webform

Dear CASA Board Members,

Re: Covid-19 Vaccination and Class 1-3 Medical Certificate Holders

The Global Aviation Advocacy Coalition (GAAC) comprises international aviation professionals, medical and scientific expert groups from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Switzerland, as well as passengers. We unite in the the pursuit of safe flying across the globe and so we share and endorse CASA's goal of ensuring “safe skies for all” from both consumer and professional perspectives.

As Australian and international aircrew and citizens who fly within and through Australian airspace and on Australian carriers, we write to you to ask the following questions of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority:

1. Please explain how the Civil Aviation Safety Authority assesses Covid-19 vaccines' suitability for use by Class 1-3 medical certificate holders since their roll out.

2. Does the Civil Aviation Safety Authority collect reports of Covid-19 vaccine effects, side-effects and severe adverse events (including suspected or proven resultant death) occurring in any Class 1-3 medical holder and if it does please explain how this data is collected?

3. Is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority aware of any Covid-19 vaccine-induced adverse events in any Australian Class 1-3 medical certificate holder? If so, how many such events is the Civil Aviation Safety Authority aware of and how does CASA categorise their severity?

4. Does the Civil Aviation Safety Authority keep data relating to the numbers of Class 1-3 medical certificates that:

   • are held;

   • temporarily suspended;

   • permanently suspended;

in any given year?

If so, how many years of such data does the Civil Aviation Safety Authority hold?

1. Holders of Class 1-3 medical certificates are expected to self-report medical issues to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, except where issues are actually detected during a Civil Aviation Safety Authority medical examination. How and when does the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, via its medical system, become aware of certificate holders' medical issues if they do not self-report those issues to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority?

2. On an average, per yearly basis, approximately what proportion of all flights that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority is responsible for regulating within Australian airspace are conducted by multi-person crews and what proportion are conducted by single pilot?

3. Does the Civil Aviation Safety Authority hold data documenting on a yearly basis passenger and crew medical:

   • incidents;

   • accidents; and

   • diversions of any aircraft inside Australian airspace and/or on VH-registered aircraft globally?

4. How many Class 1-3 medical certificate holders has CASA authorised to engage in:

   • any phase 1, 2 or 3 clinical trial for any Covid-19 drug, treatment, therapy, protocol or vaccine; and/or

   • any form of trial, protocol or evaluation of "mix-and-match" Covid-19 booster use e.g. Pfizer vaccination followed by another manufacturer’s vaccine?

We thank you for your anticipated efforts in providing your insight into the above questions and look forward to receiving your reply by email in due course.

Yours sincerely,