Union bid to ground Qantas 747’s
A report in The Daily Telegraph says that thousands of passengers could be left stranded or face major delays after a move by aircraft engineers to ground two Qantas 747s because of safety fears.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association will today launch legal action allowing the union to ban the aircraft from flying for up to four weeks.
The association confirmed yesterday that services were expected to be disrupted but said bans were necessary because of the airline’s use of cheap overseas maintenance.
The contractor, the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company, came under scrutiny earlier this year when an internal audit found 14 problems, including flight control cables in need of replacement, damaged floor panels, screws scattered across a wing and a plane damaged after a spare part was dropped on it from a crane.
ALAEA secretary Steve Purvinas said he expected the planes to be grounded for three to four weeks while Australian engineers conducted safety checks.
He said any cancellations or delays were the airline’s fault.
“Qantas engineers have found that the aircraft have returned from overseas checks in a condition that does not meet Australian airworthiness standards and our members will be grounding the aircraft until they are properly checked,” he said.
“We don’t intend to disrupt Qantas services but unfortunately this may occur,” Mr Purvinas said.
Qantas engineering general manager David Cox said the airline would vigorously dispute the union’s application.
“This action does not relate to genuine safety concerns,” he said.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports