Qantas to ditch life rafts as part of cost-cutting measures (1)

Qantas to ditch life rafts as part of cost-cutting measures (1)
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The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has approved Qantas’s plans to remove life rafts on a number of its aircraft servicing domestic routes in a bid to save on fuel costs, according to a report in The Australian.

Qantas said life rafts would remain on board aircraft that fly over “longer stretches of water”, and that 38 Boeing 737 jets from its fleet of 72 will now have life rafts removed. Qantas group, which includes budget-carrier Jetstar, has a combined total fleet of more than 300 planes.

“The majority of our Boeing 737s operate between Australian mainland cities and don’t fly over long stretches of water, so rafts simply aren’t required, even as a precaution,” Mike Plottel, head of safety at the airline, said in the statement.

The Australian reports that a similar change will also be made for six Jetstar A321 planes and follows the approach competitor Virgin Australia and other airlines around the world have taken to save unnecessary fuel burn.

The move comes after Qantas posted a record $2.8 billion loss for the year ending June 30 and has embarked on a $2 billion cost-cutting scheme. Earlier this year the airline announced it would axe 5000 jobs across the company.

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