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Qantas faces special safety probe | Qantas faces special safety probe |
(20 minutes later) | |
Australian aviation authorities have announced a special review of airline Qantas, after three safety scares in little more than a week. | Australian aviation authorities have announced a special review of airline Qantas, after three safety scares in little more than a week. |
A Qantas 767 was forced to return to Sydney on Saturday after a fluid leak. | A Qantas 767 was forced to return to Sydney on Saturday after a fluid leak. |
It followed another plane's emergency landing in Manila caused by a hole in its side, and a problem with a landing gear cover on a domestic flight. | It followed another plane's emergency landing in Manila caused by a hole in its side, and a problem with a landing gear cover on a domestic flight. |
Officials said they had no evidence of falling safety standards, but added it was "prudent" to take a closer look. | Officials said they had no evidence of falling safety standards, but added it was "prudent" to take a closer look. |
The investigation will take place over the coming two weeks. QANTAS INCIDENTS 2 Aug: 767 returns to Sydney after hydraulic fluid leak in wing flap28 July: 737 returns to Adelaide with landing gear cover problem25 July: 747 diverted to Manila after hole appears in fuselage Tank 'exploded' on Qantas jet | |
"Clearly, there's been a number of incidents recently and it's important that we go in and double check and make sure that all the standards are being maintained," a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) said. | "Clearly, there's been a number of incidents recently and it's important that we go in and double check and make sure that all the standards are being maintained," a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) said. |
"I wouldn't say we're concerned about Qantas' safety at all," Peter Gibson added. | |
"In fact, we've found no evidence of safety slipping within the airline or safety standards being allowed to drop at all." | |
Mid-air drama | |
The Australian flag-carrier prides itself on having a good safety record, but a spate of recent incidents has dented its image, correspondents say. | |
The most recent incident, on Saturday, also involved Manila - this time on a plane headed for the Philippine capital. The Boeing 767 needed to return to Sydney after a hydraulic fluid leak was detected. | |
And six days ago a plane heading from Adelaide was forced to return after a landing gear bay door failed to close. | |
However, the mid-air drama between Hong Kong and Melbourne on 25 July made the most headlines. | |
Safety officials now say an exploding oxygen cylinder was the most likely cause of the hole in the side of the plane, which made an unscheduled detour to Manila. |
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