Tiger Airways to get all-clear to fly today
Andrew Heasley
August 10, 2011 - 1:32PM
The six-week grounding of Tiger Airways Australia is expected to be lifted today by the aviation safety authority, a day ahead of tomorrow's scheduled Federal Court hearing.
But realistically it could take the airline time to get back into the air, in order to sell seats and ready pilots, cabin crew, support staff and airliners for duty.
Fairfax Media believes Tiger's first flight could take off as early as Friday from Melbourne on one of its core routes, possibly to Sydney.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), which pulled Tiger from domestic flying on July 1 due to a "serious and imminent risk to air safety" is believed now to be satisfied the airline had met its conditions.
Fairfax Media believes the airline has met CASA's requirements over pilot proficiency, maintaining technical reference material and improving its safety management systems.
An administrative process was to be undertaken this morning, with the exchange of formal documents between the parties requiring authorisation by the Federal Court before the flying suspension can be formally lifted and announced.
This includes the safety authority's withdrawal of its Federal Court application to extend the grounding. Once its application is formally withdrawn, the suspension lifts.
This process is expected to take a few hours to conclude.
CASA issued a statement saying it would announce its decision on the airline's grounding at 2pm today.
The no-frills, Singapore-based airline's grounding has resulted in upheaval for the carrier over the past few weeks, including costing its former chief executive Crawford Rix his job.
The Singapore-based group's chief executive, Tony Davis, has relocated to Australia to fix the mess.
The grounding caused disruptions for tens of thousands of passengers who had their travel plans ruined during school holidays and beyond.
It also cost the airline dearly, nearly $12 million over the past six weeks, on top of $13.7 million in forgone ticket sales and refunds, and $1.4 in lost ancillary revenues.
That comes on top of the airline's $18 million loss from Australian operations for the first financial quarter this year.
The airline also drew the ire of federal and state consumer watchdogs for continuing to sell tickets while grounded, before suspending sales after warnings.
Ticket holders have faced weeks of delays in receiving refunds for tickets paid for flights that never took place.
Tiger's Singaporean acting chief executive Chin Yau Seng said last week "our relaunch will focus on route profitability and operational excellence", lending weight to speculation that Tiger will cull a number of its unprofitable domestic routes here, including withdrawing flights from Avalon Airport near Melbourne.