Tiger Airways struggles onwards
Officials at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Australia have confirmed they will seek to lift restrictions on Tiger Airways if “all safety issues are fixed”.
Tiger has been grounded since July 2nd following “serious and imminent” safety lapses linked to pilot proficiency, training and fatigue management.
Earlier, Tiger Airways Australia agreed to refund all tickets for planned flights in August, but aviation regulators said the move did not mean the airline was facing further delays in returning to the air.
“Tiger Airways will offer a credit refund for the full value of the booking which will be valid for six months,” read a statement from the airline.
“Alternatively Tiger Airways will provide a full refund to the original form of payment.
“All of the above options will be available from now until seven days after Tiger Airways resumes sales for its Australian domestic services.”
The low-cost carrier is 33 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines.
Safety Concerns
Two Tiger Airways flights have come under the spotlight following safety concerns raised by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
The first, a flight to Melbourne Airport, descended too low following an error on its internal database.
The other flight was forced into a missed approach procedure by strong tailwinds approaching Avalon.
It was instructed to immediately climb to 3,000 feet but, during its second attempt to land, “left its assigned altitude without an airways clearance” and descended to below the minimum safe altitude while positioning for the final approach.
While there was little danger to passengers, due to substantial buffers built into safety procedures, the ATSB continues to investigate both flights.
To access all the latest information about the world’s major airlines via one mobile platform visit Airline.City.Mobi.