Union moves to ground Qantas
jets on safety fears
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.
Source: News.com.au
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Hmm.. looks like they're still pushing the blame on SIAEC...
