Virgin Blue has suspended extended twin engine operations (ETOPS) due to a "record-keeping" issue two months after gain- ing approval for the operations.
The airline took the decision voluntarily, ahead of any potential action by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). ETOPS approval by CASA in October followed an examination of the carrier's flight operations, navigation services and aircraft engineering projects.
The suspension is due to issues over new record-keeping processes, says Virgin Blue head of strategy David Huttner. The move is having minimal impact on operations, but on Melbourne-Perth services is resulting in extra fuel burn and 10-15min delays.
Source: Flight International
