Qantas bosses have been accused of breaching safety guidelines by engineers who have now called upon safety regulators to look into the matter. The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia (APESMA) is already in a dispute with the flag carrier as its members have already voted for a ban on overtime.
APESMA is saying that the engineers used by Qantas after its members leave for the night are not qualified to properly inspect the aircraft and do not have the relevant experience with the particular types of plane they are inspecting. The concerns have been put in a letter John McCormick who heads the Civil Aviation Authority.
As an example of how Qantas has been putting passengers at risk, APESMA have used a Boeing 737 which the airline cleared to fly from Sydney to Canberra. It was then allowed to take a further return journey to Darwin, all the while flying with a cracked cockpit window.
Engineers estimate that by allowing the aircraft to fly, Qantas was putting the lives of around 400 passengers at risk because if the window had broken the cabin would have lost pressure. APESMA claims that this is just one example of risky engineering and inspection decisions that have been made.
Qantas has denied that they are cutting corners on safety, claiming that all of the engineers they employ to look after their fleet are qualified to do the job correctly. A spokeswoman for Qantas said that standards at the airline were all up to regulatory approval.