The saga surrounding Qantas took a new turn Wednesday as the Australian Federal Police confirmed it was investigating the alleged sabotage of a Qantas 767 in Brisbane.
The alleged sabotage was said to relate to the wiring of the inflight entertainment system and occurred prior to Qantas CEO Alan Joyce’s decision to ground all flights over the weekend, stranding tens of thousands of customers amid a protracted labour dispute.
Union officials denied sabotaging the aircraft, saying the problem likely stemmed from a manufacturing defect. Qantas declined comment, while the AFP said little other than to confirm it was investigating.
By Tuesday Qantas had resumed normal flight schedules and said all passengers stranded over the weekend had been delivered to their destinations. Still, the political fallout over the company’s unprecedented move continued unabated, with the government and opposition trading accusations over how much each side knew ahead of Qantas’s decision to halt flights.
Joyce has also been called to appear before a Senate parliamentary committee to explain the decision.
