Pilots warn on Jetstar risk
From: By Steve Creedy
July 18, 2006
QANTAS pilots have raised safety concerns over the ability of low-cost carrier Jetstar to fly international routes.
The pilots want the launch of the new Jetstar international services delayed, amid anxiety about proposed routes over remote stretches of ocean.
The pilots wrote to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority last month warning that any move to give Jetstar International immediate permission to fly routes that take them up to 180 minutes away from emergency airports would expose the public to "an unacceptable level of risk".
Jetstar, a unit of Qantas (qan.ASX:Quote,News), is seeking the 180-minute approval, known as extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS), so it can fly direct to Honolulu, starting later this year.
Qantas (qan.ASX:Quote,News)already has the 180-minute approval on the Airbus A330 planes Jetstar International will operate, but Jetstar must apply for permission in its own right.
The Australian and International Pilots Association says Jetstar lacks the experience to operate at the maximum ETOPS range and CASA should do a risk assessment and operational safety case before granting approval. It says Jetstar has a "limited operational, engineering, maintenance and experience base" and an operational and safety culture that may differ significantly from its parent's.
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