Rex hits back at claims of poor maintenance

Airline Rex temporarily suspended ASX trade to hit back against claims of shoddy maintenance.

Rex has hit back against claims of poor maintenance. Picture: AFP

Airline Regional Express (Rex) temporarily suspended ASX trade on Monday as it hit back against claims of shoddy maintenance practices.

A 17-page document sent to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority by the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association raised concerns about a “culture of fear” at Rex and urged CASA to revoke the carrier’s authority to service its own aircraft.

Among the allegations made by ALAEA, was that Rex committed serious breaches of safety regulations and discouraged employees from reporting mechanical defects.

The document was received by CASA in late May, and a spokesman for the regulator told The Australian they were taking the allegations very seriously.

“We’re still working our way through the document and as yet we have not found anything that would warrant immediate attention, but it is an ongoing process, and one that will be addressed thoroughly,” he said.

The company’s shares resumed trading on Monday morning after a brief pause. Shares 17 per cent dropped to a 22-month low of $1.16 during the morning but by mid afternoon had recovered some ground to be down 7 per cent at $1.21.

Among the avenues open to CASA as part of the investigation was increased surveillance of Rex’s work practices.

In Rex’s statement to the ASX, chief operating officer Neville Howells said ALAEA had advised the airline it was CASA, not the union, that made the complaint public.

“Realising that these baseless accusations are not getting any traction, some are now taking the despicable and cowardly approach of launching anonymous malicious attacks on Rex,” said Mr Howells.

“Rex had already invited senior management of CASA on June 18, to have a full briefing on the matter as well as to discuss the professional failings of the disgruntled engineer (who authored the document).

“We believe that our safety culture, as part of the Safety Management System is second to none.”

He went on to say CASA had even written to Rex on May 22 to advise that the regulator had no current safety concerns with the carrier.

“CASA is satisfied that Rex is meeting all of its obligations,” said the letter which predated the engineer’s complaint.

Mr Howells said it was now up to CASA to decide if its safety culture was lacking in any manner.

Two years ago, Rex made headlines worldwide when a propeller came off a Saab 340B aircraft mid-flight, landing in dense forest southwest of Sydney Airport.

As a result, additional inspection steps were added to propeller shaft worksheets for aircraft engineers, although the problem was ultimately the fault of the engine manufacturer.