The Sydney Morning Herald reports
Wrong plane recalled due to burst tyre
January 24, 2008 - 4:03PM
A Jetstar flight to Hamilton Island was ordered back to Brisbane today with a suspected burst tyre - but it was the wrong plane.
Just half-an-hour after take-off, the 9.45am (AEST) flight was forced to turn around and return to Brisbane, causing a two-hour delay for 105 frustrated passengers.
Remnants of a tyre had been found on the runaway but it was later discovered it belonged to a Jetstar aircraft bound for Avalon in Victoria.
Simon Westaway, a spokesman for the budget airline, said the aircraft had landed in Avalon without incident, despite the burst tyre and damage to a flap adjacent to the undercarriage.
Mr Westaway said recalling the Hamilton Island flight was a precautionary move but the right one.
"We're about operating our services in a safe and efficient manner and meeting our schedule," he said.
"It was an appropriate thing to do, bringing the aircraft back to Brisbane when it wasn't that far out.
"It just so happened it was another plane that had burst a tyre. We have an engineering presence in Avalon to cover that anyway.
"We just couldn't determine which aircraft (had burst a tyre) and it's obviously very difficult to inspect an aircraft when it's in the air."
Mr Westaway said passengers on the flight to Avalon were never in danger.
He said the experienced pilot landed the plane without any problems.
If it was the right thing to recall the Hamilton aircraft, why wasn;t the Avalon flight also recalled? Oh. I should realise that in the brave world of LCCs it costs less to recall the nearest aircraft, no matter how illogical.
These Jetstar spin-doctors really take the cake but it is good to see that neither 'Qantas' nor "the Qantas Group' have been used to prop up their nonsense.
