New conditions keep Tiger semi-grounded
Tiger Airways will only be allowed to operate at a fraction of its previous level for the rest of August as it continues to pay a high price for failing to comply with Australian safety laws.
The airline which has not yet released any new schedule or fare offerings, will only be allowed to fly 18 sectors a day in this initial period, but has a fleet of 10 Airbus A320s which could operate the equivalent of 80 flights a day between closer spaced SE capital cities.
The Australian division of Tiger Aireays Holdings has been bleeding cash since CASA suspended its operating licence after month of the carrier failing to comply with or at times even recognise Australian safety regulations.
In a statement CASA outlines its continuing scrutiny of key safety functions in the carrier.
TIGER AIRWAYS SUSPENSION LIFTED
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has lifted the suspension of Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, effective from Wednesday 10 August 2011.
This follows a thorough investigation by CASA into safety issues within Tiger Airways Australia.
As a result of the investigation and consistent with previous actions taken by CASA, a new set of conditions has been imposed on Tiger Airways Australia’s air operator’s certificate.
These conditions address key areas of operational importance within Tiger Airways and will underpin ongoing improvements in the airline’s safety performance. To continue to operate Tiger must comply with the conditions while they are in place.
Areas the conditions cover include:
- pilot training and proficiency
- pilot rostering and fatigue management
- currency and revision of operational manuals and related documents
- improved change-management processes and the appointment of additional qualified personnel in key positions
- amendments to the airline’s safety management system.
Tiger Airways Australia was required to demonstrate it had complied with the necessary safety requirements before it was permitted to resume operations.
These requirements included additional simulator and ground training for Tiger’s pilots.
The number of sectors Tiger Airways may fly is initially limited to a maximum of 18 a day during August 2011. Increased operations after August will be subject to CASA approval.
CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety, John McCormick, said Tiger had demonstrated to CASA it can comply with the conditions on its air operator’s certificate and meet the necessary safety requirements.
“On that basis, CASA now believes allowing Tiger Airways Australia to resume operations is acceptable,” Mr McCormick said.
“Tiger Airways has co-operated with CASA’s investigation and is to be credited for a constructive approach.
“CASA will be closely monitoring the operations of Tiger Airways through scheduled surveillance and regular spot checks. We will also be meeting regularly with the airline to review ongoing safety performance and compliance with the conditions on the airline’s operations.”
CASA suspended the air operator’s certificate of Tiger Airways Australia on 2 July 2011.
In an interview in Brisbane McCormick said some of the conditions imposed on Tiger would take a ‘reasonable management’ about six months to introduce.
The conditional lifting of the suspension of the airline is as unprecedented in Australian aviation in terms of trunk route operators as was the grounding of the entire operation at the start of July.
The news leaves Tiger’s Singaporean owners in the difficult position of introducing a strategy that will rescue the fortunes of an airline that has first been shamed, and now shackled, for a stubborn and inexplicable failure to understand or comply with a set of air safety regulations that are very, very similar to those that the Singapore arm of the carrier obeyed in relation to Singapore’s civil aviation regulations.
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