The Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) Statement on Regional Express Airlines
The ALAEA confirms that a detailed 33 page letter of complaint (currently being referred to a “report”) was sent to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on 27 May 2019. It related to our observations and concerns about what we considered to be the safety culture and non-compliance of REX with their mandatory safety procedures in relation to maintenance related investigations. The letter in part identifies eight examples we consider to be serious non-compliance which involves several former and current employees over several years.
The ALAEA is a professional association of highly skilled aircraft engineers (LAMEs) holding licences to certify that Australian aircraft are safe to fly. Our members take their responsibilities very seriously, as do most maintenance organisations throughout Australia.
The ALAEA takes matters regarding aviation safety extremely seriously and does not make frivolous complaints to the regulator.
The ALAEA has an obligation to promote and enforce high standards in aircraft maintenance and to provide a means of liaison between our members and CASA and the letter of complaint is an example of that obligation.
Having a completely open and transparent reporting and investigation process is paramount to any maintenance organisation’s safe operations and a mandatory component of an organisation’s CASA issued approval to maintain aircraft. If those systems are not in place, or are not being followed, we say the approval should be cancelled until such time as they are.
For transparency we sent the report to the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) and advised CASA we would also provide a copy to the Associations representing flight crew and cabin crew on REX aircraft.
We took our concerns to CASA and insisted that they apply proper process and afford REX due procedural fairness. CASA have assured us this will occur.
