Aircraft Disinsection
These pages provide information on the responsibilities and functions of airlines in relation to cabin and hold disinsection of aircraft entering Australian airports from overseas.
Australian legislation states that all aircraft entering Australia must be treated, in a manner approved by the Director of Quarantine, for the purpose of destroying insects and disease vectors.
The disinsection of international aircraft helps to protect Australia from a range of vectors of human diseases, and pests of animal and plant quarantine concern.
AQIS and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) are working in partnership and will authorise on behalf of each other all disinsection Compliance Agreements and any other undertakings as required.
Approval to perform residual and pre-embarkation disinsection is dependant on airlines entering into a Compliance Agreement with either AQIS or MAFBNZ. The Compliance Agreement outlines the application of a particular set of procedures; and the supervision, monitoring and testing of the airlines compliance with those procedures.
Airlines flying into Australia are permitted to perform pre-flight and top of descent disinsection without prior agreement being made with either AQIS or MAFBNZ.
The on-arrival disinsection method will take place if an airline has not satisfactorily negotiated a Compliance Agreement with either AQIS or MAFBNZ or performed pre-flight and top of descent disinsection. This may incur a Fee for Service charge to the airline operator.