Vietnam aviation regulator slams Jetstar Pacific for poor safety practices

Jetstar Pacific Airlines, the low-cost airline based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has been criticised by the Vietnamese authorities for what they call its “very poor and ineffective” safety practices.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has accused Jetstar Pacific Airlines – which is partly owned by Qantas Airways, the national airline of Australia – of having hidden defects and violations from supervisors, of its facilities being substandard, and of not having sufficient maintenance personnel.

While Qantas Airways owns 27% of Jetstar Pacific Airlines, the government of Vietnam controls the majority share.

Jetstar Pacific has been ordered to remove its general director and two other officials from their posts, media reports said, citing a report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

The Civil Aviation Authority identified the officials as Luong Hoai Nam, former general director of Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Atanas Stankov (from Bulgaria), manager of technical quality, and David Andrew (from Australia), manager of maintenance.

In its report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said the three key executives of Jetstar Pacific Airlines need to take responsibility for the “systematic mistakes.”

The police in Hanoi, Vietnam, had arrested Luong Hoai Nam a week ago on a charge of “neglect of responsibility” in performing his duty, resulting in “serious consequences.” Luong Hoai Nam had resigned as general director of Jetstar Pacific in November 2009.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said it has found a number of problems with Jetstar Pacific, including those related to training of technicians, maintenance of equipment, as also the efficiency of the maintenance system.

Among Jetstar Pacific’s “dangerous practices” that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam identified was removing one faulty anti-icing pipe instead of replacing it. The defective anti-icing pipe in question was welded and placed back in the plane by an unauthorised contractor, the Civil Aviation Authority alleged.

In the report, the Civil Aviation Authority said it had clamped as many as 5 maintenance-related fines on Jetstar Pacific Airlines during 2008-2009 and had also recommended that “urgent” steps be taken to correct the mistakes. However, the airline did not fully execute the corrective measures suggested, the aviation regulator added.

In a statement, Jetstar Pacific Airlines said it is making efforts to deal with the administrative as well as operational issues raised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, adding that the airline is still confident of its records related to engineering and safety and is continuing to work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority as it “has always done.”

An official of Qantas Airways, based in Sydney, Australia, refused to comment on the Vietnamese aviation regulator’s adverse remarks on the safety standards of Jetstar Pacific, by taking the stand that the Civil Aviation Authority’s report is an issue concerned only with Jetstar Pacific Airlines.

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Jetstar Pacific Airlines, the low-cost airline based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, has been criticised by the Vietnamese authorities for what they call its “very poor and ineffective” safety practices.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has accused Jetstar Pacific Airlines – which is partly owned by Qantas Airways, the national airline of Australia – of having hidden defects and violations from supervisors, of its facilities being substandard, and of not having sufficient maintenance personnel.

While Qantas Airways owns 27% of Jetstar Pacific Airlines, the government of Vietnam controls the majority share.

Jetstar Pacific has been ordered to remove its general director and two other officials from their posts, media reports said, citing a report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

The Civil Aviation Authority identified the officials as Luong Hoai Nam, former general director of Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Atanas Stankov (from Bulgaria), manager of technical quality, and David Andrew (from Australia), manager of maintenance.

In its report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said the three key executives of Jetstar Pacific Airlines need to take responsibility for the “systematic mistakes.”

The police in Hanoi, Vietnam, had arrested Luong Hoai Nam a week ago on a charge of “neglect of responsibility” in performing his duty, resulting in “serious consequences.” Luong Hoai Nam had resigned as general director of Jetstar Pacific in November 2009.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said it has found a number of problems with Jetstar Pacific, including those related to training of technicians, maintenance of equipment, as also the efficiency of the maintenance system.

Among Jetstar Pacific’s “dangerous practices” that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam identified was removing one faulty anti-icing pipe instead of replacing it. The defective anti-icing pipe in question was welded and placed back in the plane by an unauthorised contractor, the Civil Aviation Authority alleged.

In the report, the Civil Aviation Authority said it had clamped as many as 5 maintenance-related fines on Jetstar Pacific Airlines during 2008-2009 and had also recommended that “urgent” steps be taken to correct the mistakes. However, the airline did not fully execute the corrective measures suggested, the aviation regulator added.

In a statement, Jetstar Pacific Airlines said it is making efforts to deal with the administrative as well as operational issues raised by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, adding that the airline is still confident of its records related to engineering and safety and is continuing to work closely with the Civil Aviation Authority as it “has always done.”

An official of Qantas Airways, based in Sydney, Australia, refused to comment on the Vietnamese aviation regulator’s adverse remarks on the safety standards of Jetstar Pacific, by taking the stand that the Civil Aviation Authority’s report is an issue concerned only with Jetstar Pacific Airlines.