Tiger Airways Australia could now remain grounded until August 1 after CASA announced it was seeking to have the airline’s initial five day grounding extended by the Federal Court.
“CASA is making the application to the Court because investigations into Tiger Airways Australia will not be completed by the end of the initial five working day suspension period,” the regulator said in a statement issued on the evening of July 6.
“If CASA completes its investigations and determinations before 1 August 2011 and is satisfied Tiger Airways Australia no longer poses a serious and imminent risk to air safety it may be possible for it to resume operations earlier.”
The extended grounding has reinforced many commentators’ views that Tiger may cease operations in Australia. “Given the depth of CASA’s concerns, and their previous rejection by [CEO] Tony Davis, the question as to how retrievable Tiger Australia is, and at what cost, must be exercising the minds of its owner,” blogger for crikey.com.au Ben Sandilands wrote in a July 6 blog post.
CASA first grounded Tiger on Friday evening, with effect from Saturday July 1.
