Australia: Qantas grounds three planes following inspections November 1 /update 1

Event

On Friday, November 1, Qantas airlines announced that it has grounded three Boeing 737NG aircraft from its global fleet following safety inspections. All three planes had hairline cracks between the wing and fuselage and have been removed for repairs. According to the airline, 33 Boeing 737NGs were inspected as a precaution after Boeing announced that dozens of the aircraft had been taken out of service with similar issues. Qantas said that all three planes are expected to return to service before the end of the year and it will work to minimize any customer impact while they are repaired. As of November 1, the repairs are not expected to cause significant service disruptions. Updated information can be found on the Qantas website here.

Advice

Potentially impacted travelers are advised to monitor developments to the situation and to contact the airline for additional information.