'Administration Issue' Grounds 10 QantasLink Planes - Alliance Airlines Fokkers Operate in Place to CQ Airports

On Tuesday 17 January, Qantas Airways briefly grounded 10 Bombardier Dash-8-Q400 turboprop aircraft operated by their regional brand QantasLink after it was revealed the aircraft missed a routine inspection, which led to flight cancellations and delays.

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The grounding was to resolve a "maintenance administration issue" with 10 of QantasLink's 31 Dash-8-Q400 aircrafts, a Qantas spokesperson said on Wednesday 18 January.

"This is an administrative issue that relates to technical compliance and not a safety issue with the aircraft," they said.

QantasLink, which boasts a fleet of 82 aircraft, rebooked affected customers on alternative flights and apologised for the inconvenience.  "Disruption has been minimal," the spokesperson added.

Of interest, QantasLink flights into Central Queensland Airports were disrupted with some flights cancelled.  It was noted that on Tuesday 17 January, QantasLink substituted larger Cobham Aviation-operated Boeing B717-200 regional jets on some services to both Rockhampton and Mackay Airport.

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While Alliance Airlines was also noted to have operated some services for QantasLink between Brisbane and Emerald, Rockhampton and Mackay Airports with their Fokker F-70 and F-100 jets over the course of Tuesday 17 January and Wednesday 18 January.

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At the time of writing, all 10 aircraft have returned to service following the inspections.