Australia has introduced national operating procedures for large air tanker firefighting aircraft, including minimum drop heights, after the 2023 Boeing 737 firebomber crash in south-west Western Australia exposed a gap in standardised tasking. The new benchmark, developed through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, covers aerial supervision, task profiles and communication protocols, giving operators a single national framework after years of state-by-state variation. ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell called it a milestone for aerial firefighting safety. The standards follow the final accident report, which found the aircraft flew too low and too slow during the drop and that the absence of a published minimum drop height contributed to the crew’s risk assessment failure.