About AIPA

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) is a professional Association and federally registered organisation representing pilots employed by the Qantas Group (currently Qantas Airways Limited, Jetstar Airways Pty Limited, Eastern Australia Airlines Pty Limited, Express Freighters Australia, Network Aviation and Sunstate Airlines (QLD) Pty Limited) in airline operations within Australia and around the world.

Membership
Representing over 2,500 Qantas Group pilots in both domestic and international operations, AIPA is the largest professional body of airline pilots in Australia. It was formed in 1981 when it separated from the Australian Federation of Airline Pilots in response to the changing aviation environment of the time and the need to enhance the industrial position of Qantas pilots.

Affiliations
Australia
AIPA is affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) – representing two million Australian workers and their families. Since its creation in 1927, the ACTU has spearheaded some of the most fundamental workplace struggles in Australia’s history. The industrial gains are many: decades of wage increases through the award system and campaigns in the field, safer workplaces, greater equality for women, improvements in working hours, entitlements to paid holidays and better employment conditions, and the establishment of a universal superannuation system.

International
AIPA is the eighth largest of 93 aircrew organisations that form the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA). In the global context, IFALPA represents 120,000 pilots and, uniquely, is one of only two bodies holding a permanent seat at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) without being identified as a contracting state. The ICAO function, under the United Nations Charter, is to internationally harmonise rules and procedures for the civil aviation industry. 

In all business with IFALPA, AIPA shall be known as the Australian Air Line Pilots’ Association (AusALPA). AusALPA is the IFALPA Member Association in Australia and is made up of AIPA and the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP).

AIPA is a partner of the Oneworld Cockpit Crew Coalition whose principal objective is to provide a cooperative forum for its member organisations to address matters of common interest affecting pilots within the airline companies who comprise the oneworld Alliance (Qantas, Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Lan Chile, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malev, JAL and Mexicana) and their major codeshare partners.

AIPA is also affiliated with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), an international trade union federation of transport workers' unions consisting of 759 unions representing over 4,600,000 transport workers in 155 countries. The ITF has a high-profile role in  the co-ordination of international activities and the representation of civil aviation unions in international bodies.

Broad Objectives
AIPA seeks to advance the employment interests of its members and, to that end, represents individuals and the membership at large both in the workplace and in the broader aviation industry.

AIPA regularly participates in regulatory, technical and government inquiries and forums, and is recognised by various government and quasi-government bodies as having a stakeholder interest in the Australian aviation industry.

Corporate Governance
Corporate governance principles and systems have been formulated and installed in order to ensure that AIPA:

• achieves its known objectives;
• is financially accountable;
• complies with the applicable laws and regulations; and
• is operationally effective and efficient.

Published in AIPA - General Documentation