Qantas has an enviable safety record, consistently ranked as either the safest airline in the world or not far from it.
Since the dawn of the Jet Age, it has never suffered a fatal accident or lost an aeroplane hull, which is a credit to its staff and its leadership.
But in the aviation chaos of the past few months — amid huge numbers of delayed flights, cancelled flights, and after the loss of experienced staff — employees have told us about their fears that the stellar reputation of the airline they love could be undermined.
“As frustrating as it is for passengers, for pilots it means we’re working a lot harder to keep the flights on schedule,” one Qantas pilot said.
“We’re working longer hours. We are red-lining, running at max capacity in a very dynamic, challenging environment. There’s a lot that can go wrong.”
A licensed engineer told ABC’s Four Corners: “The planned work for the night, we used to get through it, what they planned for us almost every night. Now, the first thing we do is have a look at what work is up to its time limit and has to be done, so the plane can fly the next day.”
We can’t name the many employees we spoke to because they could be sacked for raising their concerns.
Qantas categorically rejects claims that its aircraft maintenance engineers are overworked or that there is a risk to safety.
It does not dispute union estimates that numbers are down by up to 35 per cent on the levels it had before the onset of COVID-19.
However, it says it requires fewer engineers than it had pre-COVID because maintenance requirements are much lower, with its 747-fleet retired and international capacity down.
Tony Lucas has been a pilot for 30 years, 27 of those with Qantas, and he has risen through the ranks to become a check and training captain.
He is also president of the Australian and International Pilots Association, a voluntary position he holds alongside his job at Qantas.
He is careful not to overstate safety concerns but acknowledges risks have grown.
“All the disruptions that we’re getting, none of them, in and of themselves, are anything different to what we deal with on a day-to-day basis,” he told ABC’s Four Corners.
“But what we’re seeing at the moment, we’re seeing them occur multiple times in the day.
“We’re seeing them occur across multiple weeks, and ultimately that’s where things start to increase in operational complexity.
“Any one of those things on their own isn’t a big deal to deal with, but when you start adding them up all together, across multiple flights, that starts to become a concern for safety.”
Source: Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar