NATION Qantas grounds cracked planes

QANTAS has pulled three Boeing 737s from service after finding hairline cracks on the wing structure but says it isn’t obliged to check other planes that have had fewer than 22,600 flights.

The engineers’ union wants the airline to ground the entire fleet until all 75 Qantas 737s are checked, but isn’t demanding the same of rival company Virgin Australia.

The three Qantas planes have been grounded until hairline cracks in the “pickle fork” structure between the wing and fuselage are repaired.

Qantas found the first case of cracking in an aircraft with just under 27,000 cycles of landings and takeoffs last Friday and, this week, identified two more instances during an audit of all 33 of its 737s to have had at least 22,600 flights.

The US Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month ordered airlines to check within a week any 737s that had completed more than 30,000 cycles.

Planes with more than 22,600 cycles have to be checked within seven months. Qantas yesterday said the three affected planes would return to service by the end of the year.

The airline will work to minimise passenger disruption. “Qantas will never fly a plane if we do not believe it is safe to do so,” Qantas Domestic chief executive Andrew David said in Sydney yesterday. “Our entire reputation – our brand – is built on our safety record.” The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association wants all Qantas 737s grounded until they are checked.

Association federal secretary Steve Purvinas yesterday accused Qantas of putting profits ahead of passenger safety.

“They think the reputation of Qantas, that was built up over nearly 100 years, can be risked in order to make more

QANTAS WILL NEVER FLY A PLANE IF WE DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS SAFE TO DO SO. OUR REPUTATION IS BUILT ON OUR SAFETY

QANTAS’ ANDREW DAVID

money,” Mr Purvinas said. He also accused the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of being under Qantas’ thumb after the regulator said there was no evidence the full fleet should be grounded.

“It will only take an hour per aircraft for Qantas to check these planes,” Mr Purvinas said.

“The reason they won’t do that is because if they find more cracks they’ll have to ground more aircraft and it will cost them more money.”

Mr Purvinas denied he was holding Qantas to a different standard to Virgin which has cleared its 19 planes with more than 22,600 cycles. Virgin has 78 Boeing 737s in total.