Starting in the second half of this year????
- No A320 Fleet manager, training/check crew or line pilots within their ranks (advert appeared just today - normally 3 month notice period for currently employed folk. I can just hear Max at MATFO now "you want who to be your fleet manager - I don't think so?" Just as they did with the original Tiger CP. Experience is a CASA requirement for new type operations. They will need to find someone good!)
- If they can find crew how do direct entry captains sit with the union?
- No AOC with A320 on it yet, let alone CofA for the machine itself(CASA's service delivery standard for new type on AOC is 130 days I believe - working days that is = 5.9 months)
- Has CASA even provided an estimate yet and have XR paid the 50% up front.
- No manuals written to even allow the start of CASA's process (still under construction at Altara I hear and I've never heard of CASA accepting the "first cut" of any manual they have assessed)
- No MEL or SOM for the engineering side of the house (I understand the talk in the XR hangar is "we have no chance of getting ready")
- Any spares on order to keep a 17 year old aircraft with 22 previous owners running.
- Speaking of 22 owners - how is the back-to-birth tracing of the maintenance files tracking (can't get an CofA from CASA without that)
- XR CAR 30 has no A320 on their approval (and JHAS are booked solid)
- And that's all before a partial evac demo is even booked in with CASA who have a total of 1 Cabin Safety Inspector (other on maturnity leave I understand)
Always love to see our industry expand, but operations in the second half of the year are just a dream I think. A nicely painted machine means little sadly. I have a nice tattoo but that doesn't get me into the Gypsy Jokers. Don't polish your wings just yet lads.
