QF to open Heavy Maintenance Base for 717 in Canberra
 

"About 40 high skilled aircraft engineering jobs will be created in Canberra as Qantas opens a new heavy maintenance facility in October."

Plans for the new Boeing 717 engineering facility were announced on Friday by QantasLink chief executive officer John Gissing, who was joined by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr.
Full story from this afternoons online edition of the Canberra Times can be found at:

Qantas to open new Canberra heavy maintenance base

I guess that will make good use of the hanger that was originally built for Implulse with ACT Govt support but has basically been underutilised since completion.

And how many have lost there job in Adelide? Yingand yang.

And the contractors in canberrra supposedly.

Cheaper or brining it all back 'in-house?'

Hopefully all the COBHAM engineers made redundant in CBR and ADL will be hired by QantasLink.

Why would you base anything in Canberra? It's the absolute arse end of any logistics chain.

How about...

That's Great news more jobs for engineers

But No ....

complaint after bitch after whinge after sarcasm.

You guys could whinge about winning Lotto and still find fault in that it was only 10 million.

Ad-Astra, they make a good point though. With Cobham guys in Adelaide who do 717 heavy maint and the canberra guys possibly getting made redundent, the 40 jobs in canberra is just a reshuffle of work, probably not new engineering jobs.

Anybody know how many 717's are currently in the Q-link fleet?


I ask because, if the number is less than 20, it is a marked change in QF philosophy to onshore heavy maintenance. As their idea is that anything less than 20 aircraft isn't sustainable for a heavy maintenance line.


Interesting development all the same.


.....ahh, the article quotes a fleet number of 18. Yet no 747 or A380 heavy maintenance is viable at a fleet size less than 20. Hmm, interesting.

Steady on there ad-Astra! I don't think anyone can be criticized for expressing concerns about what Qantas management do these days. If the track record is anything to go by, there will probably be plenty of good engineers getting the chop.

Great news for QF engineers.

Terrible news for Cobham engineers.

They will use QLink (Eastern) Engineers already based in CBR. They already do (A?) Checks on the 717s there, now they're going to be doing the heavy stuff too.

Fuel-Off :ok:

You will find most of the staff in the Canberra hangar are contractors through Sigma - not employed by Eastern/Qantaslink.

Agreed...
Are there any 717 type licenced QF engineers at this time??

How about putting licence coverage in Melbourne, lost count with the amount of delays with defects into Melbourne and then waiting for an appropriately licensed engineer to be flown in from either CBR or ADL to fix/certify for sometimes the most minor of defects. Unless something has changed in very recent times, which I doubt!:ugh: Tin pot cheap arse operation at best who are no doubt meeting the very minimum OTP figures for the network but not ex MEL.

Bumpfoh,
Could you post the very minimum OTP guidelines or a link to them so we can all see Tinpot cheaparsed operations compared to other operations.


Thanks
RC

In reality its QF that decides where and how many engineers they based in which locations.
You maybe correct re the OTP but pointing the finger in the wrong direction, unless you expect Cobham out of the goodness of their shareholders pockets to prop up Qantas?
QF have chosen a cheaper contractor, its not good news for anyone except QF share holders really. (maybe)

Some engineers have been offered contracts with Sigma, the other contracter on $25K less and working approx 40 more days per year for the priviledge, plus they alot of them would have to move. Lets all clap our hands and say what great news? Rather than see this as more pilot jobds for Qlink, see it as what it really is and thats probably a move towards even cheaper contracters on lower conditions. Same with cabin crew and all other support staff.

As well as no sick leave, no annual leave, no redundancy provisions.

While Cobham may be a "contractor" all the Canberra guys were full time employees of a company with all the associated benefits and protections.

Meanwhile the people making these under hand cost cutting moves still have full time employment with all the benefits and of course their bonus.

Are these really new jobs or just shuffling of the deck chairs.

This is not in any way shape or form a good news story. About 50 Cobham Engineers are losing their jobs and I doubt that 15 positions will open up for them employed through a Labour Hire mob.


Along with the job losses, baggage handlers will be now doing the aircraft receipt and dispatch in Canberra. Only one airline I know could try and spin this into a good news story.

Ad-astra.......NO, there are not more jobs. Different T & C's in a different state with a different company.


Capt Claret........Nothing for QF engineers, QLINK no more Qantas than Jetstar, Jetstar Asia, Network etc


RENURPP..........NO engineers at Cobham have been offered jobs, either directly or with Sigma.


Qlink only have 4 permanent 717 LAMES on the books with about 30 A checks worth of experience. They maybe have 4 contractors with the same.


OTP has been severely effected by the fact that QF had no engineers in Melbourne or Sydney and only afternoon coverage in Hobart.


14 guys have lost their lively hoods in Canberra, 11 of which moved their families there on the information that the contract ended 2018. Now all are likely looking elsewhere for employment.


Goodluck getting 40 highly qualified engineers on peanuts coming to Canberra in winter when its -10c outside. I'm sure they'll be lining up for the connie jobs.