Tiger could be grounded until August
The deep pockets of Singapore Airlines and its faith in its part-owned Tiger Airlines Australia will be tested in coming weeks as the budget carrier battles to resume flying operations.
Australia’s aviation safety regulator is seeking a court order to keep Tiger Airways Australia grounded until August 1, due to ongoing safety concerns.
Tiger said it would not oppose the application.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) originally banned Tiger Airways for five working days from last Saturday while it investigated the airline’s safety practices.
Tiger has estimated that the ban is costing it US$1.6 million a week, while around 35,000 travellers are being impacted.
In another development, Tiger said its chief executive in Australia, Crawford Rix, would leave the airline on July 31.
His replacement is Tony Davis, the group president of Tiger Airways Holdings who was sent from Singapore to lead the crisis talks with CASA.
CASA said if it completes its investigations and determinations before August 1, 2011 “and is satisfied Tiger Airways Australia no longer poses a serious and imminent risk to air safety” it might be able to resume operations earlier.
Tiger will be required to retrain its 100 pilots before the airline is allowed to fly again.
By TravelMole Asia
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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