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-   -   VIRGIN AUSTRALIA MAINTENANCE (https://www.pprune.org/australia-new-zealand-pacific/531151-virgin-australia-maintenance.html)

600ft-lb 4th Jan 2014 06:33

The types compass flew were hardly compatible with the heavy maintenance facilities and authorisation holders abilities so that's a bad example.

However, Qantas management have gone into bunker mode in the last decade, they are not interested in being entrepreneurs of the aviation world. They handed back all of their line maintenance customer contracts nation wide to try and strongarm their workforce into submission. Of course they now realise it was a mistake because the perpetrators of that crime all got sacked shortly after. I digress, Qantas could've and did have the facilities and manpower available to do all the work available in Australia with a world comparable scale.

It's not a hard stretch of the imagination to see that if Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin put their comparable aircraft types, the 738's, A320's and the a330's into the same facility the scale would be there - it would be a cost saving all round. The whole wages argument is moot, heavy maintenance exists in high cost European countries. While I don't disagree that Qantas's 3 previous heavy maintenance bases wasn't ideal for a cost structure, having duplication all the various non productive staff, managers, planners, HR, admin etc there is no reason why if the 3 airlines flying in this country got their act together they couldn't put together a world leading MRO.

But once again, that would take foresight.

airsupport 4th Jan 2014 06:53


The same people never want to know why we aren't attacking Jetstar for sending aircraft overseas.
I am definitely NOT one of those people, however you have my curiosity now, why is it okay for Jetstar when they are owned by Qantas? :confused:

airsupport 4th Jan 2014 06:58


The types compass flew were hardly compatible with the heavy maintenance facilities and authorisation holders abilities so that's a bad example.
Sorry you think that, there was NOTHING bad about Compass, except for the disgusting and unAustralian way we were treated, mainly by Ansett. :mad:

Qantas did rent us their hangar sometimes for checks and engine changes etc.

piston broke again 4th Jan 2014 07:38

600ft-lb,
One of the more logical and insightful posts I've seen in a while...well done.

ASY68 4th Jan 2014 07:39

Both VPH and VPF were seen in SIN at SIAEC in November.

CF6JETBLAST 4th Jan 2014 07:41

Quote : Where do you suggest they have their heavy maintenance done, Qantas?

If Virgin were fair dinkum about supporting Australia they could have done so at JHAS. They signed an EMBRAER deal and then chose to renig on the deal and send them to Portugal. Why ? They quoted poor turn times yet when adding the time and cost of ferry flights they take longer and cost more. They forgot that they could not supply parts on time with nearly all the checks started without all the pre load parts being sent. But hey it is never the customers fault.

Then they took away the B737 checks and landing gear program even though they were mostly completed on time. Send them to ANZES was their choice.

How long before Virgin take the A330 A Checks away from JHAS and put the final nail in the coffin?

So as many have stated in this thread where is the noise for taking the maintenance to Asia ? :ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

ASY68 4th Jan 2014 07:45


How long before Virgin take the A330 A Checks away from JHAS and put the final nail in the coffin?
Apparently when either the carport at the MJB is built or when they have enough B1 LAMEs in MEL to do the work at BAE (supposedly they can fit the nose in the hanger - I think Pinocchio's nose got longer with that idea)

airsupport 4th Jan 2014 07:48

Okay, I thought Qantas would be the only ones left in Australia that could do all this heavy maintenance, sorry. :confused:

airsupport 4th Jan 2014 08:10

Okay, I no nothing of this JHAS, so I went searching.

Surprised to find, IF it is true?


Since July, JHAS has lost large heavy maintenance contracts with Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Tigerair Australia.

The Virgin work went overseas, the Jetstar work in-house and Tigerair helped launch BAE's commercial heavy maintenance business in Australia.
It says the Jetstar work is now being done in-house, but from what is posted here that is NOT true is it? :confused:

jyounggun 4th Jan 2014 09:06

Jetstar maintenance
 
Since the end of last year (2013) jetstar have started doing a-checks in H141 in MEL, this is the hangar they originally got just for the 787.

J* owned, manned by KORR contractors, a lot who are ex JHAS.

RATpin 4th Jan 2014 09:26

airsupport,Qantas where sending 74's as far away as Ireland in the 80's for HM as the bean counters had shut down the apprenticeship training school as I recall.
I'm sure others that frequent these pages have far greater knowledge on this than I.
Sadly QF is an inverted pyramid,way too many people pushing paper around and it's always the sharp end that gets it in the neck.

600ft-lb 4th Jan 2014 11:22

Jetstar do a fraction, less then 25% of their heavy maintenance in Newcastle. The rest is done in Singapore.

They do however do their heavier overnight/A checks in their newly acquired once busy, now empty ex Qantas hangar.

Looking at the bigger picture, it was probably cheaper to shut down the Qantas MEL maintenance base then it was to build a new hangar for Jetstar.

airsupport 4th Jan 2014 20:33

Okay, thank you all for your responses with info. :ok:

Things are way more complicated now than they ever were during my 40 years in the Industry, I have never even heard of some of those places. :uhoh:

I think I will just keep out of it and enjoy my retirement, but good luck to all of you that are still in the Industry. :ok:

vhtae 2nd Apr 2016 05:45

In which Australian cities does Virgin Australia have line maintenance bases at? Are they company owned?

ALAEA Fed Sec 4th Apr 2016 04:06

Line in most ports they fly including all capitals.

vhtae 5th Apr 2016 10:09

Thanks for the reply.

Do they have their own maintenance hangars around the country? as the only one I am aware of is Brisbane and Melbourne.

Thanks

wheels_down 5th Apr 2016 12:37

BNE/MEL and VARA has one in PER

vhtae 9th Apr 2016 06:54

Thanks for the information.

The reason I am asking is that I read an article from a few years back mentioning Virgin Australia wanting to build a base in Sydney.

Snakecharma 11th Apr 2016 03:54

There was going to be a widebody hanger built in Sydney but from memory the place they were going to build it got used for something else.

I can't remember exactly where it was but thought it was on the opposite side of 07/25 and near where the new apron has been built and the long term car park is.

Not sure where that project is at at the moment.

bangbounceboeing 11th Apr 2016 04:35

They won't need a wide body hanger once the wide body aircraft are sold off!


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