No matter what, no matter why, any problem encountered by QF will hit the press (at least for now). The latest involves a quite normal delay + what I hope is not a normal panel loss +what is reported as a excessive spill of hydraulic fluid upon landing. Symtoms of a overaly active press or real problems? I will let you make up your own minds.
Another Qantas flight grounded
August 15, 2008 07:55am
A QANTAS flight from Brisbane to Melbourne was delayed by more than half an hour today due to a technical problem.
A passenger told the ABC that everyone was seated and the plane was ready for take-off when they were told they had to disembark because of an engineering problem.
The plane was due to fly out at 6am (AEST) but departed about 40 minutes later.
A Qantas spokeswoman said there was a minor technical issue but denied it posed any safety concerns.
"It was not a safety concern. The engineers were just checking the aircraft," she said.
This follows a string of incidents which began last month when an explosion ripped a hole in the fuselage of a Qantas jet en route from Hong Kong to Melbourne, forcing an emergency landing at Manila.
AN access panel fell off a Qantas jumbo jet on its way to Singapore from Melbourne today.
A Qantas spokeswoman said a routine check on the Boeing 747 after it arrived at Singapore this morning found a small engine access panel had become detached.
"It had absolutely no flight safety implications," the spokeswoman said.
The access panel, which was "non-structural", was replaced and the flight continued to London after a delay of just under six hours.
The incident is the latest in a series of aircraft problems for Qantas.
On Wednesday night, a Qantas Boeing 767 experienced a hydraulic failure which affected the plane's steering as it landed at Sydney airport.
The plane left a trail of hydraulic fluid as it touched down on its way from Melbourne, forcing the closure of the runway for 40 minutes while the spill was mopped up, The Australian reported. 
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