Caution: author is GT - from The West Australian.
Qantas insurers have paid out $150 million - half the price of a new plane - to fix the Airbus A380 crippled when an engine exploded four minutes after take-off from Singapore on November 4, 2010.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said yesterday the repair was probably the most expensive in aviation history.
The A380, christened Nancy-Bird Walton, will return to Sydney on April 22 to complete flight QF32 - 536 days behind schedule.
The plane was badly damaged when a faulty oil pipe fractured in a port-side Rolls-Royce engine, which then caught fire and exploded, shattering a turbine.
Shrapnel punctured the wing, cutting fuel lines, a hydraulic system and landing flaps. The jet's anti-lock brakes failed and the damage pushed the number one and four engines into "degraded" mode.
Airbus began the repairs in May, using up to 50 technicians with help from Singapore International Airlines Engineering Company and Qantas staff in an SIAE hangar. All the engines were replaced.
Meanwhile, Qantas offshoot Jetstar could face hefty fines if allegations are proved that it hired trainee pilots from New Zealand on individual contracts but did not pay them superannuation and charged them for training in Australia.
The Fair Work Ombudsman launched legal action yesterday against Australian companies Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd and Jetstar Group Pty Ltd and New Zealand entity Jetstar Airways Limited.
Qantas jet's $150m repair bill - The West Australian