Airlines hit back over 'malicious rumours' about ash cloud damage

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have both rubbished rumours that their aircraft sustained damage by flying through plumes of ash over Australia and the Tasman this week.

A Virgin Australia spokesman told Fairfax newspapers the airline had added an extra layer of precautionary checks on aircraft and engines since the arrival of the ash cloud.

"To date we've found absolutely no evidence of ash on any of our aircraft," he said.

"It's kind of hard to get ash damage when you're not flying through ash."

Air New Zealand responded forcefully to -¬---malicious rumours-¬~ about ash damage to its jets.

In a statement, Air NZ CEO Rob Fyfe said while his airline worked to maintain safe operations, rumours were being spread.

"Behind the scenes we were constantly battling a series of malicious rumours that emerged from the Australian market and fed to media, suggesting that Air New Zealand had six aircraft in the hangar with ash damage, an aircraft grounded in Australia with ash damage and an aircraft requiring a nose cone replacement as a result of ash damage," he explained. -¬~¨

-¬---All these stories were a complete fiction and I was left scratching my head as to where these false rumours were coming from."

In a response to reported comments by Qantas chief Alan Joyce about the ash cloud situation and the decision by Qantas to ground flights, Fyfe said: -¬---What Alan failed to mention was that Qantas was very happy to transfer thousands of its customers on to Air New Zealand and other airlines-¬™ services, which seems a strange thing to do for your customers if you have concerns about the safety of the airspace."

By TravelMole Australia

Friday, June 24, 2011

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Is it all about fuel costs?

I agree with you Tom, Qantas has a very enviable safety record but I do wonder whether their current policy toward the ashcloud is more about concerns with their fuel budgets than possible damage to their engine components. Aviation acquaintances tell me that you can fly under, around or even over ashclouds without risk - the only negative being a fuel burn of up to 20% above normal. These comments are more than ably supported as I look at the Departures board at Auckland International Airport & note that the only airlines not operating are Qantas & Jetstar.

By Gary Westwood, Saturday, June 25, 2011
Qantas has an enviable safety record

Qantas has an enviable safety record, perhaps in part due to a cautious approach to their staff and customer's safety that is given priority over profit. The approach Qantas has taken together with the skill exhibited by their pilots in recent months is re-assuring and will in the long run serve them well.

By Tom Withycombe, Friday, June 24, 2011
Aviation industry as a whole suffers when malicious rumours about safety circulate

The airline industry operates on margins no other industry could easily sustain - 3.5% last year and currently more like 1% this year so far according to IATA. Anyone old enough to remember the BA/PanAm (successful) bid to put Freddy Laker"s trans-Atlantic low cost airline out of business will know that airlines have sometimes resorted to Machiavellian means to discomfort rivals. Wherever the ash-cloud damage rumours originated from, they must adversely affect consumer confidence in flying and that hurts the industry as a whole, not just the subjects of the rumours. Whoever started the rumours it could be that it"s appropriate for them to consider the proverb "Those in Glasshouses should not throw stones."

By John Barrington-Carver, Friday, June 24, 2011
Well said Rob Fyfe!

Both Qantas and subsidiary Jetstar have been struggling to maintain their consumer credibility in the NZ market whilst Air New Zealand & other carriers continue to operate full international and domestic schedules during the ash cloud situation. It isn't surprising to see a media offensive of this nature emanating from Australian shores and the strong response from Rob Fyfe is completely justified.

By Gary Westwood, Friday, June 24, 2011