Aviation official defends Ansett decision

Ansett is getting help from its rivals to cope with Easter flights

In this story: 'Repeated failures' Bad timing RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Staff and wire reports

ADELAIDE, Australia -- Australia's Civil Aviation and Safety Authority has denied an allegation by the country's second largest airline, Ansett, that the government agency is "out to punish it."

CASA has begun safety inspections of Ansett's 767 fleet, and issued warnings that the airline could be shut down completely within three weeks.

AUDIO CNN's Kirsty Alfredson speaks to CASA's Peter Gibson. He says Ansett has to accept its shortcomings. 1.75 MB/2:47mins AIFF or WAV sound

Ansett CEO Gary Toomey earlier said the company was being blamed for highlighting its own safety concerns.

"We are being blamed for finding these issues and reporting them," the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Toomey as saying.

"The whole culture in the Australian aviation industry, which we subscribe to, is one of no blame, where you are actually rewarded, or you encourage people to raise issues of safety so we all have a safer environment," he said.

CASA is expected to issue a notice to Ansett on April 20, giving the airline 14 days to show why its approval to operate should not be withdrawn.

'Repeated failures'

The authority decided on Thursday to ground Ansett's 767's after what it called 'repeated failures' by the airline to maintain their planes in line with Australian safety standards.

The notice was based on a "pattern of ongoing structural, management and personnel problems," CASA had said.

While CASA's Peter Gibson didn't deny Ansett's statement that it had reported a number of their problems as it was required to do by law, he said "there were other problems that have emerged" that the airline didn't inform industry regulators about.

He cited problems surrounding an incorrectly fitted emergency slide, which was reported to CASA by another government safety agency, and a problem of a door to one 767 "not sealing properly."

"We've carried out an audit of Ansett which has uncovered problems in their maintainance area.

"It's a combination of information we have learnt from Ansett management, information passed on by other people, and our own auditing procedures, that lead us to the position that we could not let Ansett go on the way it was," Gibson said.

The dramatic grounding over the busy Easter period was sparked with the voluntary grounding last week of seven 767's, after hairline cracks were found on the planes' engine mounts.

Bad timing

The grounding could not have come at a worse time for Ansett, as the carrier is struggling against high fuel costs and fierce competition from its new discount rivals.

CASA's decision to keep Ansett's 767 fleet on the ground also came at a time of increased traffic over the Easter holidays.

The move threw Ansett's schedule into chaos, and forced the beleaguered airline to lease planes, and book seats on other airlines.

CEO Toomey told information portal News.com that moves to make sure that Ansett made good on its commitments over the holidays had cost it about US$1 million so far, and would later cost about $250,000 per day.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Australia raises safety fears for older 767s

Ansett Airlines
Boeing
Civil Aviation Safety Authority

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