Jetstar flight chaos and passenger strandings almost over as 787s return to service

Jetstar says it “still has challenges” but flight cancellations are less likely in coming days as more aircraft return to service.

The pictures Jetstar wants passengers to see – engineers working on their Boeing 787s in the hope of cancelling fewer overseas flights.

Jetstar has reassured frustrated passengers a spate of last-minute international flight cancellations are just about behind them as more grounded aircraft return to service.

By the end of the week, all 11 Boeing 787-8s should be back in the air although two were still out of action as of Wednesday.

At the peak of the operational nightmare, six of Jetstar’s 11 wide-body Boeing 787s were grounded due to engineering issues, maintenance and some extraordinary bad luck.

A lightning strike, bird strike and debris on a runway all contributed to the groundings, which in turn meant a series of flight cancellations on international routes.

In late August and early September about 20 flights were axed – mostly to and from Bali – and this week there have been another four flights scrapped, affecting passengers in Hawaii, Singapore and Indonesia.

Thousands of passengers had travel plans disrupted or holidays inadvertently extended, triggering an outpouring of complaints about the low-fares carrier.

Jetstar chief operating officer Matt Franzi said while the company still had challenges, it was seeing “clear improvements in how things are going”.

“Our engineers have been working around the clock to get our 787s safely back in the air after a very unusual series of events over the past few weeks, including multiple lightning strikes, bird strikes and damage to an aircraft from debris on the runway,” Mr Franzi said.

“We’ve been sending engineers and customer teams around the network, including to overseas ports, and we have also been really creative and resourceful in sourcing spare parts despite global supply chain issues.”

He apologised to customers whose travel plans had been disrupted and acknowledged it had been “a really frustrating time”.

“Our team has been working with customers to get them where they’re going as quickly as possible,” Mr Franzi said.

“Everyone who has had a flight cancelled has been offered an alternative flight, and most are now home.

“For those still overseas we’re helping with accommodation, meals and other expenses, including transport to the airport and other costs on a case-by-case basis.”

Jetstar engineers have been working “around the clock” to bring the airline’s Boeing 787s back into service.

It’s understood about 200 people were still to travel home from Honolulu after Monday’s flight cancellations.

For customers in Australia whose flight had been abandoned, Jetstar was offering a flight voucher or refund.

In an effort to emphasise the efforts being made to return 787s to service, Jetstar shared a series of pictures of its engineering team working on the so-called Dreamliners in Melbourne.

The latest disruption coincided with this week’s announcement Qantas chief customer officer Stephanie Tully would be heading up Jetstar, following the departure of Gareth Evans later this year.