Aussie airlines lose final airport regulation battle

airlines airports lose battle — Photo: Melbourne Airport

Australian airports will face greater scrutiny of pricing and service quality, but airlines have lost the final battle for tighter regulation and the independent arbitration of disputes.

The Australian government has tweaked the scrutiny airports face from the competition watchdog but basically accepted a Productivity Commission report that found airports were not misusing their market power.

The airlines campaigned strongly for the appointment of an independent arbiter who could rule on disputes and were backed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

They continued to lobby even after the commission delivered its findings in favor of the status quo, urging the government not to adopt the report’s recommendations.

READ: Is Qantas Project Sunrise fading into the sunset?

The Government’s response supported many of the commission’s recommendations including that regulators receive a boarder range of financial information about areas such as aeronautical revenue, services, car parking and landside access.

It also backed a finding that the ACCC should undertake a review of quality of service indicators to ensure they had a greater focus on outcomes and more closely reflected the expectations of airport users.

Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the productivity Commission found airports did not act to the detriment of the community due to transparency about their performance and” a credible threat of additional regulation if they misuse their market power”.

“The Government has adopted the Productivity Commission’s recommendations to improve transparency by enhancing the monitoring of both pricing and service quality at Australian airports,’’ he said.

“The Australian Government will continue ensuring all visitors to Australian airports have access to quality services and are charged fair prices.

“It is important to keep in mind we are seeing continued growth in passenger numbers facilitated by record levels of private sector investment in our major airports.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government’s response was about getting the balance right, encouraging infrastructure investment and the best consumer outcomes.

“As a result of the regulatory certainty provided by the Government’s response and through greater transparency on the quality and cost of services provided by airports and ongoing monitoring by the ACCC, the Government expects Australia’s airports to continue to expand and improve the services they provide,’’ he said.

The Government encouraged airlines and airports to work together “in the best interests of all those who use their service”.

But airline lobby group A4ANZ said the refusal to act on the “worsening behavior of Australia’s monopoly airports and their super-profits” would lead to more disputes, court action and hurt the wider Australian economy.

It urged the government to urgently rethink its decision.

“By saying the ACCC need to monitor the airports more, the Government is admitting there is a problem,” A4ANZ chairman Graeme Samuel said.

“Yet they have squibbed the chance to actually do something about it for the Australian traveling public.

“This is despite the Government having a solution in front of them; the modest, evidence-based reforms proposed by the ACCC, which would see the introduction of an independent umpire to resolve disputes between airports and their customers, improving efficiency and delivering benefits to consumers and the economy.”

Australian Airports Association chief executive Caroline Wilkie said the government’s response endorsed the commission’s key finding that the current regulatory approach remained fit for purpose.

“Airports play an essential role in our community and the industry stands ready to continue its work with our partners to keep improving the passenger experience,” Wilkie said.

“It is important the monitoring process has the opportunity to evolve to make sure we keep meeting the needs of our community over time.

“The recommended improvements will ensure the public has a clear view of how the monitored airports are listening to customer feedback and striving to deliver the best possible airport experience.”

IATA calls on Europe’s ‘Green Deal’ to embrace biofuels

Steve Creedy

IATA biofuels Europe — Photo: Brisbane Airport

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is seeking support for sustainable aviation fuel as part of the European Union’s “Green Deal” push to reduce carbon emissions and build a new energy economy.

The airline industry sees biofuels as a longer-term answer to reducing carbon emissions but has had limited success in persuading governments to provide meaningful support for the technology.

The fuels have been tested in more than 215,000 commercial flights and have the potential to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent on a life-cycle basis.

But making sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) available on an economically viable basis has proved tricky and they currently supply just 0.1 percent of aviation’s energy needs a decade after the first test flight.

READ: A350 boosts SAS sustainability in flight-shaming battle.

More recently, there has been a flurry of research into electric and hybrid electric planes but these are likely to be some way off and are aimed at short-haul operations.

Long-haul aircraft will still need liquid fuel for the foreseeable future and SAF’s are a major component of its plan to cut emissions to half 2005 levels by 2050.

There is some hope on the horizon: The International Air Transport Association says there are currently 14 SAF production facilities operating, under construction or in the final stages of financing and planning.

These will take the industry some way to a goal of having 2 percent of aviation fuel from non-fossil sources by 2025, a point it sees as a tipping point in terms of viability.

But IATA says more progress is needed.

IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac told the Sustainable Innovation Forum in Madrid on Tuesday that the industry had high hopes for the Green Deal.

The Green Deal wants to overhaul the European economy by, among other things, supporting research and innovation in low-carbon and clean technologies and encouraging more green investment.

“We want to be part of Europe’s building of a new energy economy and we will do everything we can to make sustainable aviation fuels a priority for aviation in Europe and around the world,’’ he said in a call for carefully considered policy measures.”

Aviation is committed to carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and has an industry-leading global carbon offset plan for international airlines called CORSIA to help it achieve that.

The IATA boss said this would cover most of the anticipated growth in aviation emissions but there was a need for more states, including several big travel markets, to join from day one.

He also cautioned against states introducing taxes that could undermine the scheme.

“Taxes are a politician’s way out. They are easy to put in place and make it look like action is being taken.

“But in aviation, they rarely have the desired environmental benefit, and simply cut off travel options from lower-income consumers.

“It takes more time and more effort to put in place a package of measures that can actually reduce emissions in the long-term. But that approach is a hundred times more beneficial than a blunt tax.”

CORSIA, however, is seen as an interim measure while other technologies are developed.

De Juniac said the role of governments in energy transition had been mapped in the successful development of solar and wind solutions for power generation.

He called for aviation to be the priority when it came to sustainable liquid fuels.

“Electrification of road vehicles is tried, tested, scalable and on the market today,’’ he said.

“Aviation should be a policy priority because it does not have a near-term electrification option.”

Traditional energy suppliers also need to prioritize investment in SAF, the IATA boss said.

“The major oil companies have the expertise, the distribution networks and – importantly – the financial power to make a real difference,’’ he said.

“I call on them to make this an absolute priority, helping to underpin global connectivity for future generations by making sustainable aviation fuels a commercial reality.”

New podcasts FACTS telling a very different story on Lion Air MAX crash

Geoffrey Thomas

New podcasts FACTS are telling a very different story on the tragic Lion Air MAX crash of late 2018.

The podcast by the Flight Safety Detectives former NTSB crash investigators Greg Feith and John Goglia are extraordinary in their detail and very sobering and highlight multiple failures of maintenance and serious pilot deficiencies.

They are a MUST LISTEN for anyone interested in air safety.

Listen to podcasts 9 and 10.

Feith and Goglia are considered among the most respected safety analysts in the industry.

Last month Feith was highly critical of the Indonesian NTSC report and the primary conclusion that the MCAS software caused the crash of LionAir Flight 610 in October last year.

READ: Jetstar pilots failed to put the landing gear down

Feith, said the Indonesian NTSC 322-page report, issued in October, into the LionAir 737MAX tragedy presents an in-depth account of the “factual” information developed during the course of the investigation.

However, Feith said of the report, “there are so many flaws in logic, failures to properly analyze the facts, and failures to hold persons or organizations accountable and much more. They (NTSC) obviously reverse-engineered the “facts” to support their preconceived conclusions that the airplane and MCAS are to blame.”

“The NTSC stated the pilots, especially the First Officer, had significant training deficiencies and lacked basic flying skills. These same deficiencies occurred during the accident flight. These two pilots had no business being in the cockpit and the airplane should not have been operated because of all the maintenance issues that began at the beginning of October, and was not corrected, making the airplane unairworthy.”

Feith questions the NTSC’s silence regarding “the oversight by the Indonesian DGCA and the accountability of LionAir, especially after the airline had several serious incidents and accidents in the past 6 years.

Mr Feith’s views were supported by a well-respected Airbus training captain, who told AirlineRatings.com the first officer “could not fly”.

“The report on the FO is an eye-opener as he is constantly very poor in all phases of operating an aircraft,” the training captain said.

“The report indicates a lot of additional training in standard operating procedures and emergencies and this was repeated on almost every subsequent training session but the problems were never resolved.

“There is a continual mention of a very poor instrument scan which was also never resolved. Even more deeply troubling was that, according to the pilot reports, the first officer didn’t understand and had difficulty handling aerodynamic stalls, a fundamental of flying.”

“That FO could not fly and I wonder why the Lion Air trainers didn’t cull him as his performance at proficiency checks are all fail items.”

Chilean military plane lost at sea with 38 on board

Steve Creedy

A Chilean military plane with 38 people on board has gone missing on it its way to Antarctica.

The Chilean air force lost contact with the Hercules C-130 aircraft Monday evening as it headed to base in Antarctica with 17 crew and 21 passengers on board.

A statement released early Tuesday by the Chilean air force said there had been no contact with the plane for more than seven hours and it would likely have run out of fuel.

READ: Emirates establishes Mexican beachhead with expanded Interjet deal

It said a search was underway in the area where communication was lost in an attempt to rescue any potential survivors.

A ship had been in the general area when contact was lost about 6:13 pm local time, less than two hours after the plane took off from the southern city of Punta Arenas, about 3000 km south of Santiago.

It was estimated the plane would have run out of fuel about 12:40 am.

Drake Passage, where the aircraft was lost, is infamous for bad weather and Defense Minister Alberto Espina was pessimistic about the chance of finding survivors.

“The chances are difficult but I think it would be profoundly wrong to lose heart at this moment when we are doing everything humanly possible and with all our energy and determination,” Aljazeera quoted him as saying.

“The air force has provided a thorough investigation to clarify the facts with complete transparency.”

Jetstar to cancel 90 weekend flights due to strikes

Steve Creedy

Jetstar Christmas — Jetstar and Tiger aircraft at Sydney Airport. Photo: Steve Creedy

Jetstar plans to cancel 90 services over the weekend as part of a strike-busting contingency plan it estimates will get 95 percent of its passengers to their destinations on the same day.

The low-cost carrier will cancel 44 services on Saturday, December 14 and 46 services on Sunday as pilots belonging to the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) undertake four-hour work stoppages.

It will also cancel 18 flights on Friday due to separate action by ground workers.

It says it normally operates about 370 flights a day on average.

READ: Jetstar Christmas disurptions unlikely despite strike votes.

“The Australian Federation of Air Pilots’ work stoppages this weekend are completely unjustifiable and cynically timed to hurt travelers at the busiest travel time of the year,’’ Jetstar chief executive Gareth Evans said in a statement.

“To protect the weekend plans of tens of thousands of customers, teams across Jetstar have worked around the clock to develop a proactive contingency plan.

“To minimize the impact on customers by the four-hour stop-work periods, we are consolidating some services, upgauging aircraft, re-timing flights and Qantas and QantasLink will operate a number of supplementary services.”

Jetstar is contacting customers affected by the changes and is also offering full refunds prior to flying to those scheduled to travel between December 13 and December 20.

“We know the union’s actions are creating uncertainty for travelers, but if we accept an effective 15 percent net increase in pay that the union is demanding, there will be significant upward pressure on the low fares our customers rely on and we will be forced to review our investment in new aircraft and new destinations,’’ Evans said.

“We remain committed to reaching a new agreement to support the great work our people do every day, but not at any cost. Strong arm action from the AFAP will not change our position on this.

“Again, we say to the union: come to the table with a reasonable offer that is fair, and which also ensures the future of low fares travel for Australians.“

The weekend stoppages will be followed by lower-level work bans next week but the AFAP has promised not to take action over the busy Christmas period from December 21 to January 3.

It is not yet clear what impact the lower-level bans will have.

The pilots voted to take protected industrial action after negotiations over 12 months saw management unwilling to shift on pay and condition claims.

The pilots are upset they are the lowest-paid jet flight crews in Australia and the union says they are tired of not being valued as highly as their peers.

The AFAP disputes Jetstar’s claim it is seeking an effective 15 percent wage increase and argues the figure is based on inaccurate and flawed costings of non-salary claims.

It says it is seeking 3 percent annual wage rises.

The company counters with an assertion that just two of the union’s allowance claims would see the highest-paid pilots receiving an additional $A60,000 a year.

Jetstar is also facing industrial action at a number of airports on friday from ground crew represented by the Transport Workers’ Union over claims of low pay and insufficient work hours.

This is the action that is expected to result in 18 cancellations

The airline says about a third of its ground crew are full-time, earning on average above $A90,000 per year, while those working part-time earn on average $A63,000 a year.

American ‘special events’ capacity benefits sports, music fans

Steve Creedy

Lovers of sports contests, concerts and even shareholder meetings are set to benefit from increased services by American Airlines to special events in 2020.

American is adding flights to support special events such as golf tournaments in Augusta, Georgia, music festivals in Palm Springs, California, and even the annual Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska.

The special events increase includes a direct Los Angeles-Palm Springs service in April and a new Embraer-175 service to Augusta from Boston as well as the upgauging of an existing service from Chicago.

READ: Emirates establishes Mexican beachhead with expanded Interjet deal

American says it will have the most seats of any airline to the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville in May with services from Boston, Charlotte, Washington, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Chicago and Philadelphia.

“It’s important to spend time and resources on memorable experiences, and we want to make sure our customers have options when it comes to the most important events around the country throughout the year,” American senior vice president of network strategy Vasu Raja said.

“We’re adding more seats, introducing new routes and making sure that our customers are taken care of throughout their travel journey.”

American this week also announced two new routes from the Texas cultural and technology hot spot Austin to Boston and California’s Silicon Valley.

The airline said the routes were in response to strong demand from customers who need to travel between Austin and the tech centers in San Jose and Boston.

Flights will operate twice daily, Monday through Friday, on a Boeing 737-800, year-round.

The aircraft features high-speed Wi-Fi, access to power at every seat and 16 first-class seats and the schedule will allow customers to attend early meetings and return home in time for dinner.

American recently renovated the Admirals Club in Austin and by the end of the year will have five contiguous gates at the airport.

And from May 9, it will introduce the only service from Austin to Los Cabos, Mexico on Saturdays and Sundays.

A350 boosts SAS sustainability in flight-shaming battle

Steve Creedy

SAS A350 flight shaming — SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson. Photo:; Andreas Spaeth.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) may be small and at the epicentre of the flight-shaming scandal but chief executive Rickard Gustafson remains upbeat about the airline’s future.

SAS is the national carrier of three states from Northern Europe – Denmark, Sweden and Norway – but it is considered being too small to survive on its own in the long term.

In 2018, it ranked 51^st on a global scale in terms of traffic carried (in RPKs), just beating Virgin Australia.

It has been almost a given that SAS would be taken over sooner or later, it even actively tried to slip under the wings of its long-term alliance partner Lufthansa.

READ: Air France-KLM deal gives Qantas frequent flyers access to more seats.

But for many reasons, a deal never materialized, and it doesn’t look it will anytime soon.

So SAS has to rely on its own devices for the time being.

One of its biggest assets is the affluent Scandinavian market, which also sees high numbers of air travel per capita as distances can be far, even on regional routes, and several bodies of water in the region such as the Baltic Sea make flying the most viable option for many.

“We have a very important market here that we can play and that can be used to our favor,” Gustafson told AirlineRatings in Copenhagen.

“We will do everything to create a very sustainable, profitable and efficient company. Once we have done that I think good things are going to happen to us.”

Gustafson as referring to overdue consolidation, including finding a new strong partner for SAS.

“That’s not happening right now to a large extent. But when the time comes it is better when you can participate in a partition from a position of strength,” he added.

PRESSURE ON MANY FRONTS

SAS has been under strong pressure recently on many fronts – showing a steep decline in profits, facing tough competition from local low-cost carriers like Norwegian and on top of that resentment to fly in parts of its home markets.

The term flight shaming and Greta Thunberg stem from Sweden, after all.

But SAS tries to be upbeat and turn things around in its favor.

“I am pleased to see the enormous changes we have been driving through the organization in the last few years,” said Gustafson.

“That’s the reason we are still around, believe in our future and can still invest in the most modern technology towards a one-type fleet.

“Once we (have) created the long-term sustainable and profitable company I am sure the ownership issue will solve itself.”

“One type fleet” has been a buzzword at SAS and it must sound like a hugely attractive objective at a carrier that only a few years ago seemed like Noah’s ark in the diversity of its fleet.

“We are coming from a history where SAS had a large number of different aircraft types which created a lot of complexity and additional cost,” acknowledged Gustafson.

“Now for the first time in our history we are having a line of sight of what we call one type fleet.

“In the core SAS itself we will fly A320neos, Enhanced A330s and A350s. Our ambition is to get mixed fleet flying one day, so our pilots can operate both the long haul and short-haul aircraft, just as our cabin crews already do.”

A350 A BIG STEP

The biggest step forward in a long time is the airline’s first Airbus A350 showcased at an event in Copenhagen this week. Seven more are to be delivered within a year.

The A350 sports the new SAS livery, the first change since 1998, a subdued, sleek Nordic design style.

The former bright orange of the engine cowlings has been dropped and the letters SAS been added to the forward fuselage in huge boldface, appearing in a shiny silver-grey metallic finish not easily visible under bleak winter skies.

SAS A350 — The new livery. Photo: Andreas Spaeth.

The cabin seats 300 passengers in total, 40 in Business Class, sporting the Vantage XL seats Qantas originally launched, in a 1-2-1 configuration, but highly customized to SAS.

The window seats are the ones to go for as the bed length there measures 2.06 meters versus just 1.96 meters elsewhere.

While the Business product resembles the current SAS offering on its A330s, the real novelty is 32 Collins seats in SAS Plus (Premium Economy), arranged in a 2-4-2 layout, including footrests, a 38-inch pitch and a 7’-inch recline.

Two more new features are to be found in SAS Go (economy class) seating 228 passengers in 3-3-3 layout.

Seats feature a 30-31-inch pitch and a much larger IFE screen at 11.6 inches’, versus 8.9 inches diameter on the A330s.

Here the mid-cabin is the place to go as the seatback recline is 6 inches’, compared to the aft cabin with just 5 inches.

New is a “cross-aisle” passageway, framed by two cabin walls in the middle of the two Economy cabins, making walking around the cabin much easier.

This is also important to reach an innovation in front of the galley in the very back – a “snack shop” kiosk. It sells munchies in between meal services, with the smallest items starting at €/US$3, and is also meant to encourage passengers to walk around.

From January 28, the A350 will be put on long haul flights from Copenhagen to Chicago, alternating with A330s.

By March, SAS will have received four A350s and will operate them on gradually enhanced services from Copenhagen to Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong and San Francisco.

AN IMPORTANT STEP IN SUSTAINABILITY

For SAS the A350, which is supposed to replace all seven A340-300s by late 2020, is also an important step to increase its credibility in terms of sustainability.

The airline was always one of the leaders of the industry in this respect, but ten or 20 years ago it wasn’t much in focus of the public.

That has changed dramatically.

“Sustainability is our most important issue looking forward, to create a path towards sustainable aviation,” SAS CCO Karl Sandlund told AirlineRatings.

Among other initiatives the carrier partners with Airbus for research of operational aspects of a future regional hybrid airliner.

In the shorter term, SAS will also be in the market for smaller jets below its A320neo fleet, a segment it currently serves through wet-leasing agreements with regional partners.

“Around 2023 or 2024 we need something going for us in the 120-130 seat segment,” said Gustafson.

“We are looking at the Airbus A220 and Embraer E2 Jets and how we can build isolated operating structures for them, so we don’t mix these different aircraft types, as we know that that creates a lot of inefficiencies.”

Emirates establishes Mexican beachhead with expanded Interjet deal

Steve Creedy

Emirates Mexico — Emirates celebrates its inaugral to Mexico City. Photo: Emirates.

Emirates has kicked off its Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico City service with an enhanced interline agreement with rising Mexican star Interjet Airlines that it plans to expand.

This is the first time the Dubai-based giant has served Mexico and the new daily route launched December 9 despite a legal battle about the validity of an agreement between Mexico and the United Arab Emirates allowing the fifth freedom flight from Barcelona.

The long-running saga saw Aeromexico, part-owned by Emirates combatant Delta Air Lines, celebrating after a local judge ruled against the flights.

Read: Jetstar launches first low-cost Australia-Korea link.

However, the celebration was short-lived after the Mexican government moved to grant a permit for the Gulf carrier’s flights.

Emirates is using a Boeing 777-200LR with 38 business seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 seats in economy class to service the route.

The airline says the new Interjet agreement allows its passengers to seamlessly connect via Mexico City to Interjet flights to Leon/Guanajuato, Culiacan, Cancun, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, Merida, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Tampico, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Tijuana and Villahermosa.

Interjet customers also have access to its global network to destinations in the Middle East, Spain, South East Asia, the Far East and North Africa.

“We’re pleased to establish a partnership with Interjet Airlines, allowing Emirates passengers to benefit from increased choice, flexibility and ease of connection to different cities within Mexico and to regional international points beyond,’’ said Emirates chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim.

“This partnership further demonstrates our commitment to Mexico for the long run, as we continue to look at ways to build our operations in the market to best serve our customers.

“While the interline agreement is only the start of our collaboration, we’re looking forward to (exploring) more mutual opportunities and a wider scope of partnership in the near future.”

Emirates has had a partnership with Interject since April when a one-way interline agreement allowed passengers from the Dubai carrier’s 12 US gateways to travel to Mexico City on Interjet flights.

“This enhanced agreement provides travelers from both airlines access to a broader network not only with more flight choices but for Emirates customers, access to more of Mexico with our many domestic connections from Mexico City,’’ said Interjet chief commercial officer Julio Gamero.

“When you combine this with seamless reservations, one-stop check-in with baggage checked to the final destination, more legroom between seats and Interjet’s outstanding onboard service, it’s easy to see why this agreement is a win-win for both airlines.”

Mexico-city based Interjet carries about 14 million passengers annually domestic and international routes. Internationally, it serves the US, Canada, Central America and South America.

Jetstar pilots extend industrial action beyond this weekend

Steve Creedy

Jetstar 787 Picture: Jetstar — Photo: Jetstar

Jetstar will face a range of low-level bans between December 14 and December 20 in addition to a series of four-hour strikes this weekend.

The Australian Federation of Air Pilots says the action is necessary after a decision by Jetstar to cancel further negotiation meetings in response to its decision to hold a ballot allowing it to take protected industrial action.

However, the AFAP reiterated it will not take protected industrial action between December 21 and January 3.

READ: Jetstar pilots forgot to lower the landing gear.

The stoppages will occur between 4:59 am and 8.59 am on Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, for narrow-body pilots mostly flying on domestic routes.

For wide-body pilots operating internationally, they will take place between 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm on Saturday and 9:30 pm and 1:30 pm on Sunday.

The bans will not apply to pilots not at their home base, flights already in operation or those flight crew performing duties associated with disembarking passengers or securing an aircraft.

The lower-level action will include bans on working on days off, duty-free days, annual leave or long service leave.

There will also be a ban on answering phone calls from Jetstar crewing and the performance of duties not on a pilot’s original roster.

The union also accused management of misrepresenting its wage claims, saying assertions by the airline that pilots are seeking a 15 percent wage rise “are simply untrue”.

AFAP executive director Simon Lutton said the AFAP wage claim was for 3 percent increases to salary.

He said the AFAP contended management had exaggerated and inflated the cost of the pilots’ non-salary claims while ignoring or undervaluing the benefits and efficiencies of the concessions that have been offered.

“Put simply, Jetstar have manufactured the alleged 15 percent increase based on inaccurate and flawed costings of our non-salary claims, such as those claims relating to rostering and fatigue mitigation,” he said.

Lutton said the AFAP hoped Jetstar would use the Christmas period to schedule meetings and resume negotiations that would prevent further action.

“We remain ready, willing and able to negotiate an agreement which balances the needs of both Jetstar and the Jetstar pilots however we cannot do this if Jetstar continues to refuse to resume negotiations,” he said.

The pilot actions come as the Transport Workers’ Union is planning two-hour stoppages — one in the morning and one in the evening — in ports around Australia on Friday December 13.

The stoppages are planned in Sydney, Melbourne, Avalon, Brisbane, Cairns and Adelaide airports.

A Jetstar spokesman said the company understood theAFAP action was frustrating for customers and the airline was working through pilot rosters for the weekend to understand which flights may be impacted.

“There’s a lot of detailed work required to comb through the schedule and work out how we can best minimize impact to customers,” he said.

“That work will be finished by the end of tomorrow and we’ll contact customers directly if there is a change to their flight.”

The airline stood by its claim that the union’s demand was for an effective 15 percent pay increase.

It said the increase for a work group where captains earn on average well over $300,00 a year “would put significant pressure on the low fares our customers rely on”.

Jetstar pilots forgot to lower the landing gear

Steve Creedy

The pilots of a Jetstar A320 forgot to lower the landing gear as they approached Ballina airport in northern New South Wales and were forced to conduct a go-around after they were alerted to the oversight by a master warning.

The aircraft operating a flight from Sydney in May, 2018, had already conducted one go-around after the captain decided its airspeed and altitude were higher than a normal approach profile.

LISTEN: New podcasts tell very diffrent story about Lion Air MAX crash

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau found the flight crew did not follow the Jetstar standard procedures during the first go-around and this created distractions that contributed to the landing gear oversight.

In particular, the flaps remained at the Flaps 3 position during the visual circuit rather than the company standard of Flaps 1.

The first go-around was performed correctly by the first officer until the Jetstar A320 reached the circuit altitude of 1500ft.

Watch the ATSB video reconstruction of the incident:

As the first officer leveled the aircraft, it accelerated quickly towards the Flaps 3 limit speed and the FO called for approach mode to be activated to reduce the plane’s target speed.

Worried about a potential flaps overspeed, where the airspeed exceeds safe limits for the flap setting, the FO retarded the thrust levers to idle and by doing so de-activated the auto-thrust system and its protections.

IF you love flying you will love this video

“With Flaps 3 still set and 10-degree nose-up pitch altitude, the aircraft performance deteriorated, requiring intervention by the captain,’’ the ATSB said.

Other distractions affecting the crew included the fact the first officer was expecting a left circuit instead of a non-standard right circuit and had not been briefed about the change.

Adding to this was the handover of flight duties to the captain, the need to correct the flight path and the fact the captain continued to fly the aircraft manually, adding to his workload.

The captain elected to remain at Flaps 3, which investigators described as permissible and safe but not Jetstar’s standard configuration for a visual circuit.

“The operator’s sequence of configuring the aircraft for landing required the landing gear to be selected DOWN prior to the selection of Flaps 3,’’ The ATSB report said.

“As the captain turned on to the final approach during the second approach, he scanned the flight instruments, observed Flaps 3 already set and instinctively commanded Flaps FULL, which was the normal sequence from Flaps 3.

“The FO selected Flaps FULL but then also turned his attention to monitoring the aircraft’s flight path.

“As such, neither of the flight crew were aware that the landing gear had not been selected DOWN.”

Investigators said that because the pilots flew the second circuit at 1500ft, the Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) had not reset on the second approach and it did not display a landing memo at 950ft.

“The absence of the landing memo should have prompted the flight crew to perform the items of the landing checklist as a ‘read-and-do’ checklist,’’ it said.

“Had they read the required actions from the checklist, both the captain and FO would have been required to independently check and announce that the landing gear was down.

“This method should have effectively ‘trapped’ their error.”

When the landing memo did appear at 800ft, the crew were focused on intercepting the final approach path and performing radio calls and neither recalled seeing it.

“Both the captain and FO were subsequently alerted to the incorrect configuration for landing by a master warning message triggered at about 700 ft,’’ the report said.

The flight crew conducted a second go-around and landed without incident.

ATSB transport safety director Dr Start Godley said the incident highlighted the importance of adhering to standard operating procedures and correctly monitoring the aircraft’s approach.

“In this case a number of factors, such as distraction and limited use of aircraft automation, combined to result in the landing gear not being selected to down,” Dr Godley said.

“While highly undesirable, it should be noted that the aircraft’s warning system effectively alerted the flight crew to the problem and the crew responded promptly to the warning and initiated a second go-around.”

Jetstar said that as a result of the incident, the pilots attended debriefings with operations management and underwent specific simulator and line flying training related to the event.