Qantas Airlines Temporarily Grounds Five Bombardier Q400s
August 23 2010 - 2:34PM
Dow Jones News
Australia's Qantas Airlines Ltd. (QAN.AU) temporarily grounded
five of its 21 Bombardier-built Q400 turboprops on the weekend
after conducting inspections related to recent service bulletins
issued after U.K. carrier Flybe Ltd. (FBE.YY) raised concerns about
the undercarriage fittings on its Q400 fleet.
Sydney-based Qantas said in a statement, dated Aug. 21, that it
grounded the five short-haul planes after "inspection of a main
landing-gear component." This latest issue is not related to the
landing-gear problems that grounded Scandinavia's SAS Group's Q400
fleet in 2007, says a Bombardier Inc. (BBD.B.T) spokesman.
Montreal-based Bombardier issued the service bulletins in July
and April related to the fittings in the turboprop's nacelle area,
a streamlined enclosure that's not part of the fuselage. About 260
of the more than 300 Q400 aircraft in operation worldwide still
need to be inspected, says a Bombardier spokesman. The inspections
are meant to catch any corrosion, fatigue or stress before it
becomes an issue.
Qantas said it began inspecting its fleet after discussions with
Bombardier and after Flybe, a major operator of the aircraft,
detected a cracked fitting during a regular maintenance check. A
spokesman for the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority confirmed it was
aware of the issue. "Flybe were performing normal maintenance
checks and informed the manufacturer," the spokesman said, adding
that the regulator isn't aware of any further issues.
A Flybe spokesperson told Dow Jones that "procedures, such as
the checks carried out on the Q400 fleet, are standard practice
throughout the industry," adding that its Q400 fleet is operating
its normal schedule, with no delays or cancellations.
U.K. airlines must notify the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority of
safety critical issues within 96 hours of an incident. Foreign
airlines are regulated by their own home authorities.
Transport Canada was not immediately available to comment.
Qantas said it expects the component fix to take around seven
days for each aircraft. As a result, QantasLink cancelled some of
its Sydney-Canberra Q400 services, is operating supplementary jet
flights and using larger aircraft where possible.
"The issue is not an immediate flight safety concern, but does
need to be rectified before each aircraft can return to service,"
said Alan Joyce, Qantas' chief executive.
In 2007, SAS pulled all 27 of its Q400 fleet out of service
after landing-gear-related problems led to three crash landings
within seven weeks. Charlotte, N.C.-based Goodrich Corp. (GR)
supplied the landing gear. A year later, Bombardier agreed to pay
SAS Scandinavian compensation of around $164 million in cash and
credit for future aircraft purchases. As part of the agreement, SAS
agreed to order 27 aircraft, with an option for 24 more.
In Toronto Monday, Bombardier B shares are down 4 Canadian
cents, or 0.9%, to C$4.52 on about 1.2 million shares. In Sydney,
Qantas closed slightly lower at A$2.59 on 23.4 million shares.
-By Caroline Van Hasselt and Kaveri Niththyananthan; Dow Jones
Newswires; 416-306-2023; caroline.vanhasselt@dowjones.com
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