I can see clearly where BAe is coming from:
1. "a number of isolated cabin air incidents"
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committ...ctte/index.htm
Air safety & cabin air quality in the BAe 146 aircraft-12 October 2000
2.50- "The committee received evidence that Ansett has, in addition to the above occasions recorded reported fume occurrences of 1 per 131 flights. This appears to average one incident of fume contamination on an Ansett flight per week"
2.54- "Ansett Australia advised the committee that: ........in 1992 engineering log reports showed an odour was reported once in every 66 flights. In the first half of this year, by contrast, engineering log reports recorded one odour occurrence in every 160 flights. (Ansett Australia Evidence, 2 November, 1999 P55)"- 12 aircraft
6.18 "By contrast the committee also notes the strong evidence of a tendency of pilots to under-report incidents of this nature"
BAe- 2 November, 1999 P 80/85
http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate...tee/s-rrat.htm
Mr Black , BAe- " Yes- In the early 1990's ,we had a problem which was that our aircraft did have oil leaks which were greater than the industry standard. That is a matter of public record as well. What we have done...... introduce modifications to overcome those problems. That has been done and the aircraft is now in a position where it does not leak oil at a frequency any greater than other aircraft.
" As recently as 1996-97 we continued to improve the sealing properties of the bearings and seals."
Mr. Williams-BAe- 10 April ,2000
" We all acknowledge....... that the modifications will not solve the problem completely. They are to reduce the number of events, and that is what is important."
2. BAe " One of the safest commercial aircraft in operation today"
http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate...tee/s-rrat.htm
10April 2000- BAe- p 232/3
Senator Forshaw- " ....You state that you are proud of the outstanding safety record of the BAe 146.... you refer to to the fact that that this aircraft has never suffered a fatal accident due to a technical failure.....What are you using as your criteria for saying it has an outstanding safety record?"......
Mr. Jones- BAe " It has not had a fatality due to a technical problem, and that is the criterion."
Note what BAe sees as definition of safety (& rest of industry I would say) & how rare incidents really are.
By the way- Mick Toller's press conference of 10April , 01 on Ansett stated that the meeting of the regulations was the minimum standard to operate to- This was the safety requirement & that is correct.