A long overdue set of revised safety laws for aviation in general in Australia, released for comment by the end of the month by CASA, have some comical provisions.
Airline safety
Outsourcing the risk: consolidating maintenance threatens Qantas safety
Critical safety and regulatory issues for all airlines are now coming into focus. Like the massive migration of airliner maintenance to consolidated service providers, and the dangers that arise where the designer and maker of something as critical as an engine also promises the earth in taking on its lifetime care.
Pilot union calls for senate inquiry into airline safety
The major pilot union in Australia has urged a senate inquiry to recommend actions to reverse what it argues is a dangerous degradation of pilot training and airline safety standards by low cost carriers, writes Ben Sandilands.
Qantaslink concerns sent to Senate Inquiry
Serious deficiencies in Qantaslink are understood to have been drawn to the attention of the forthcoming Senate Inquiry into pilot training and standards, including an extraordinary disclosure that ought to cause alarm for Qantas and safety regular CASA, writes Ben Sendilands.
Qantas windscreen crack really a crock on a quiet news day
As PR stunts go, the cracked Qantas wind-screen near disaster story doing the rounds this morning is a gripping read. Too bad it’s merely a routine incident that didn’t affect safety at all.
Violent plunges of QF72 remain a mystery
Heads hit the roof when a Qantas A300 dipped and dived off Western Australia last year. But a second interim report released today holds no certain answers.
Memo CASA chief: an uncritical media is not your friend
The underlying managerial culture of modern enterprises is to push productivity to within a millimetre of breaking the people or the equipment, and to lift output year in year out. Unfortunately in the airline game, that can kill hundreds of people at once.
Flight attendants at risk in turbulent times
When turbulence hits, it’s flight attendants who stay standing til the last minute — and bear the brunt of injuries. But perhaps, as with parents and oxygen masks, they should save themselves first.
CASA, Qantas and the documents they don’t want you to see
CASA is confident about Qantas safety, but if that’s the case, show us the documents.
Expect hurdles along the Kokoda Track crash investigation
The Australian role in the official inquiry into the Airlines PNG crash that killed nine Australians on Tuesday as they were about to start the Kokoda Track walk is going to be incredibly difficult.
Plan to cut cabin crew ratios sneaks under the radar
A CASA working party is considering a submission to reduce the number of cabin crew on Australian airline services as a cost cutting method. However, this is a safety issue.
Airline safety is slipping backwards
A new report from Safeskies Australia says airline safety is slipping backwards to fatality levels not seen since the 1990s or 1980s, writes Ben Sandilands.
787 Dreamliner: flawed inside and outside
New revelations about the “plastic fantastic” Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s wing problems show that they fail at lower stress levels than almost any other airliner in history, says Ben Sandilands.
ATSB reports make light of the real teeth-clenching risks
The ATSB is not there to give blunt warnings to the Australian public, but follow the softly spoken, evasively worded protocols.
Crikey Clarifier: Why can’t I use my laptop when the plane is taking off?
A Crikey reader asks: why can’t I use my laptop or mobile phone when the plane is taking off or landing? Ben Sandilands has the answers.
AF447 speculation in tatters
There is growing confusion over what happened in what sequence to Air France flight AF447 early on 1 June over the mid Atlantic. It all seemed a lot simpler 24 hours ago, writes Ben Sandilands.
What it feels like to go down in a plane crash
In their memoirs, two survivors tell of their trips out of the air — and the repercussions of defeating the odds.
Bloggers try to make sense of AF447′s fate
While there’s still no clear idea of what happened to AF447, well-informed bloggers — like Crikey’s Plane Talking — are suggesting what might have gone wrong.
Damning audit slams CASA’s safety record
The world’s peak aviation safety organisation has told Canberra that CASA is inept.
Qantas asks how Emirates’ near crash flew under radar
Sometime early in April, Qantas senior management is believed to have put rockets up News and Fairfax senior management.
We're all going to die Emirates flight 407: centimetres from death
On 20 March, Emirates flight EK 407 from Melbourne and the 275 people on board were seconds and centimetres from a fiery death.
Rationing the skies
So much for ‘renegade’ air traffic controllers causing chaos in the skies, writes Ben Sandilands.
How safe is Qantas really?
Crikey reader David asks: “Is Qantas’s record as good as we are led to believe? And how are the stats to be compared: deaths, emergency landings per hour flown, per aircraft, per trip?” Ben Sandilands responds.
Inside the exploding Qantas 747. Oh dear.
Pictures have arrived of the Qantas 747 with the troublesome oxygen bottle.
AirServices memo fails to shift the blame
The crisis gripping Australian air traffic control has serious safety implications, writes Ben Sandilands.
