Tiger Australia Fleet Grounded

Australian aviation regulators have temporarily grounded Tiger Airways Australia due to safety concerns.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) issued the suspension with immediate effect from July 2, and it will extend at least until July 9. Beyond that date CASA must ask for court approval to continue the suspension. “If the Federal Court supports CASA’s application the court can continue the suspension for a period of time which will allow CASA to finalize investigations into the safety matters,” the regulator says in a statement.

Highlighting the serious nature of the concerns, CASA says it is taking these measures because “permitting the airline to continue to fly poses a serious and imminent risk to air safety.”

CASA says the suspension came when Tiger did not satisfactorily solve safety issues raised in a “show cause” notice in March. After the notice was issued, CASA imposed conditions on Tiger’s air operator’s certificate.

These conditions required the carrier to make certain improvements to the proficiency of its pilots, pilot training and checking processes, fatigue management, maintenance control, and “ongoing airworthiness systems.” Tiger was also told to ensure “appropriately qualified people fill management and operational positions.”

The regulator says it has been “closely monitoring the operations of [Tiger] throughout 2011, with surveillance undertaken at a range of locations.” Since the March warning, CAA says there have been “further events raising concerns about the airline’s ability to continue to conduct operations safely.”

“In the circumstances, CASA no longer has confidence in the ability of Tiger Airways Australia to satisfactorily address the safety issues that have been identified,” says the regulator.

Tiger Airways Australia says the suspension is in effect while CASA “conducts further investigations into two recent operational incidents.” The two incidents are believed to have involved aircraft flying too low while on approach to Melbourne airports.

“The airline is currently working with the safety regulator to achieve a satisfactory outcome to its investigation at the earliest opportunity, as was achieved with the recent show cause notice,” Tiger says. It adds that it “has fully complied with the conditions required by CASA as a result of this process.”