Qantas staff fear the airline's stellar safety reputation is at risk as pressure from management mounts

Qantas has an enviable safety record, consistently ranked as either the safest airline in the world or not far from it. Since the dawn of the Jet Age, it has never suffered a fatal accident or lost an aeroplane hull, which is a credit to its staff and its leadership. But in the aviation chaos of the past few months — amid huge numbers of delayed flights, cancelled flights, and after the loss of experienced staff — employees have told us about their fears that the stellar reputation of the airline they love could be undermined. "As frustrating as it is for passengers, for pilots it means we're working a lot harder to keep the flights on schedule," one Qantas pilot said. "We're working longer hours. We are red-lining, running at max capacity in a very dynamic, challenging environment. There's a lot that can go wrong." A licensed engineer said: "The planned work for the night, we used to get through it, what they planned for us almost every night. Now, the first thing we do is have a look at what work is up to its time limit and has to be done, so the plane can fly the next day." Qantas categorically rejects claims that its aircraft maintenance engineers are overworked or that there is a risk to safety.<br/>