Qantas has commenced heavy maintenance on its first A330 at its Brisbane facility, and welcomed in 21 new apprentices on April 9.
At a ceremony attended by Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser to mark the commencement of A330 maintenance, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to maintaining the majority of its maintenance onshore, as well as training new engineers. “We are committed to continuing our investment in the future engineers of Australia,” he said. “We operate the largest civil aviation apprentice program in Australia where our apprentices learn alongside our senior engineers to maintain our aircraft to the highest safety standards.”
The Brisbane facility now handles heavy maintenance for the airline’s Boeing 767 and A330 fleet, in addition to other heavy maintenance facilities at Tullamarine (737) and Avalon (747), meaning that the carrier undertakes 90 per cent of its maintenance in Australia.