Qantas’ safety record is under scrutiny following a string of technical problems

Since the middle of last week, the Australian airline has experienced a string of in-flight problems, beginning with a mayday alarm and engine shutdown on a flight from Auckland to Sydney.

After a flurry of mechanical failures, Qantas Airways Ltd., the airline with the exceptional safety record that Hollywood made famous, is back in the spotlight.

Since the middle of last week, the Australian airline has experienced a string of in-flight problems, beginning with a mayday alarm and engine shutdown on a flight from Auckland to Sydney. Since then, at least four aircraft have made a U-turn due to issues with the wing flaps, the warning indicator lights, or cabin odours. All of the aircraft safely landed.

The string of accidents is especially upsetting for an airline that has worked hard to establish and promote a reputation for safety. When Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1988 film Rainman stated that Qantas was the only airline he would fly, the standard that the company had never experienced a catastrophic jet disaster entered popular culture.

The question of whether Qantas has lost its safety edge after repeated cost cuts and job losses under Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce, or if it has just had a bad week, is still relevant more than three decades later.

In any case, months after it seemed to have fixed a humiliating string of cancellations, delays, and baggage losses, the most popular airline in Australia is once again under investigation as a result of the new issues. The airline’s problems are once again being attributed to Joyce, who over his 14 years in charge built a reputation for cutting costs in order to generate big profits.

The Qantas Group, which includes low-cost airline Jetstar, averages about 60 mid-air turnbacks each year. There have been at least four in the past five days. The frequency of the about-turns fuels criticism that the aircraft are increasingly showing their age.

The age of Qantas’ fleet doesn’t help matters, an aviation expert has said. “It’s just a series of events that are close together by coincidence,” he said. The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association says the age of the fleet is part of the problem.

“It would be preferable to everyone if the aircraft were a little bit newer,” Qantas safety officer says. The older the parts, the more likely they are to fail, Purvinas says. Australia’s aviation regulator has given the airline its seal of approval.

Qantas Domestic CEO Andrew David said there are no issues at the airline. “Our pilots are trained always to err on the side of caution,” David said. The stock has risen almost 10% this month to be trading near its highest in three years.

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