|
Qantas A380 (MSN014) will be delivered to Sydney on September 21. (Photo: Christian Brinkmann, Airbus)
Qantas Airways will attempt to restore its damaged safety reputation with the roll-out of a new departure control system.
The Altea Departure Control and Customer Management system, which represents one of this year’s biggest technology projects in Australia, has already been implemented at domestic airports and selected Asian destinations.
After fixing a number of bugs that caused passenger delays in Australian capital airports this July, the rather bumpy installation process is expected to be completed by September 18, going online at all international terminals that the carrier uses.
The complication was mostly attributed to human error caused by a lack of familiarity, the company’s incoming CFO Colin Storey told The Australian.
Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon has recently acknowledged the seriousness of the string of operational incidents and industrial action that it recently suffered, but said people should “keep some perspective”.
“It is not surprising that after these incidents, some people might be concerned that we have taken our eyes off the ball. That is not the case,” Mr Dixon said.
“Qantas continues to have a world-class safety record – its safety record is second to none – and we remain the safest airline in the world.
“What we have not done, and will never do, is operate an aircraft that is not safe to fly,” he said.
Meanwhile, another A380 flew for the first time in its new Qantas livery, landing in Hamburg, Germany. The airline has ordered 20 A380s, with the first delivery from Toulouse, France to Sydney scheduled on September 21. The airline will deploy the first passenger flight between Melbourne and Los Angeles on October 20.
|
