Why did TAA go tits up?
In a word, the answer is 'CASA complience'.
The costs of the last 2 'C' checks overran budget due to CASA requirements and the unbudgeted costs associated with 'day to day' complience issues finally blew the liquidity of the company out of the water.
For the C chks, CASA wanted every component that did not have a known history replaced. We're talking 7 figure amounts here for a very marginal if any improvement in safety.
The 3 holer is a reliable workhorse but to operate it within the confines of 2 or 3 pages of MELs is pretty difficult. Hundreds of hours went into trying to improve on Boeing's 727 MELs to bring them to an acceptable standard for CASA but to no avail.
This problem is still unresolved and will be ongoing for the future owner - if there is one.
Every step of the sale process has to be vetted and given the nod by CASA.
It is in the interests of everyone to have the new owners onboard as quickly as possible. However, with CASA's involvement, it will be a miricle if it happens this year.
Unfortunately, CASA is unaccountable.
They are bureacrats, who under the guise of safety, are out of control.
Staff, who are mainly ex Ansett, are about to have another pineapple rammed up the arse. What recourse do they have?
Not much except perhaps to hound their federal member and John Anderson. It maybe opportune with Toller's removal, the man who grounded Ansett's 767s.