Grounding fleet up to airline: Qantas

Qantas says forcing airlines to submit a safety case to the regulator and the government prior to grounding its fleet would be impractical and could put passengers at risk.

A Senate committee has suggested that any decision to ground planes should be ticked off by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the federal transport department.

The recommendation comes after Qantas grounded its entire fleet in October 2011 due to an industrial dispute with pilots, engineers and baggage handlers.

"Qantas' decision to lock out its workforce and ground its fleet on October 29 was highly controversial," a report from the Senate's transport committee states.

"The committee is of the view that the repercussions of this on the tourism industry, the Australian economy and Australia's international reputation should not be underestimated."

The lockout directly affected 35,000 Qantas employees and their families and 98,000 members of the travelling public.

In light of the October grounding the Senate committee recommended that airlines be required to submit "a safety case" to the relevant authorities prior to making a formal decision to ground its fleet of aircraft.

The committee says that a fleet should only be grounded "in the interests of safety" and that if an airline cited safety concerns without a valid reason they should be hit with a financial penalty.

But Qantas rejected the proposal that CASA and the government approve any potential grounding.

"This is impractical when speed of response is essential to safe operations," spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said in a statement.

"If introduced this could put the safety of the travelling public at risk.

"The decision to ground a fleet must remain with ... the airline."

Ms Wirth said Qantas' grounding of its A380 fleet in late 2010 following the failure of a Rolls-Royce engine demonstrated that airlines were in the best position to make timely decisions regarding the safety of passengers and crew.

"To be required to undergo a time-consuming process of justification and approval prior to taking safety action is unacceptable to Qantas and contrary to basic safety management principles."

The Senate's transport committee was examining draft laws, sponsored by independent senator Nick Xenophon and Australian Greens' leader Bob Brown, which would ensure Qantas maintained its principal operational centre in Australia and used local cabin crew on domestic flights.

The committee, in its final report released on Thursday evening, recommended the bills not be passed as they could adversely affect the ability of Qantas to be competitive in overseas markets.

Source:  http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au