Oh look, my favourite subject. Maintenance Standards.
Qantas and Virgin engineers plan strike
Melbourne aircraft engineers today announced nationwide industrial action over safety concerns, despite assurances from Australia's aviation watchdog that passengers were in no danger.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association said by using pilots to conduct pre-takeoff safety checks, airlines were watering down an aviation safety system currently among the best in the world.
"Already we have evidence of three incidents of Virgin Blue pilots being involved in safety inspection oversights with potentially fatal consequences," ALAEA federal president Michael O'Rance said.
The federal executive of the ALAEA today endorsed a series of industry-wide stopwork meetings to consider the issue, starting in Brisbane on March 10.
However Virgin Blue commercial chief David Huttner said the budget airline had always adhered to the safety regulations set by both the aircraft manufacturer and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
"It's unfortunate that the union feels those guidelines should be modified simply to increase their own membership ... and get more membership dues in the till," Mr Huttner told AAP.
"We are running an airline focused on safety not a jobs for the boys campaign and we think it's pathetic that they use such scare tactics against us or Qantas. This has nothing to do with safety."
The ALAEA was welcome to lobby CASA for an amendment to the guidelines, Mr Huttner added.
The engineers' association claimed the problem was highlighted recently when a Virgin Blue captain removed landing gear brake pins from an aircraft and then left them on the tarmac.
But Mr Huttner described the procedure as routine. "The pins were removed by a captain as per CASA guidelines," he said.
CASA said it was satisfied there was no compromise to safety.
"We do not believe (passengers) should be concerned about the fact that pilots are doing turnaround inspections on these brand new Virgin Blue aircraft," said CASA spokesman Peter Gibson.
"There are no safety issues, but ... there are industrial issues which are nothing to do with us."
If a pilot found any damage to an aircraft, Mr Gibson said regulations stated a licensed engineer must be called in.
The ALAEA dismissed CASA's approval of the use of pilots for pre-takeoff inspections, saying the safety watchdog was simply "reacting to the big players."
"CASA has now basically said it's okay for the Australian industry to have a lower standard than the international industry," federal secretary David Kemp said.
"Virgin says it's world best practice, but in fact it's world cheapest practice. Neither of them have really listened (to the engineers)."
PLM