Qantas is considering suing Rolls-Royce if the two companies are unable to reach a commercial settlement over mounting costs following last month’s engine failure on an A380.
The engine failure last month forced one of the airliner’s superjumbos to make an emergency landing at Singapore airport and grounded its fleet of six A380s for three weeks before resuming services. Analysts estimate the problem will have cost the airline $100 million to date.
Last night, Qantas filed a statement of claim in Australia’s Federal Court in a pre-emptive move which allows the airline to pursue Rolls-Royce in Australia under the country’s Trade Practices Act.
The act would allow Qantas to seek damages for breach of contract if it can be proved that the engine maker failed to meet agreed specification on the Trent 900 engines used on the A380s.
Should Qantas take Rolls-Royce to court it will not only seek to recover lost revenue from the grounding of the aircraft but also the damage to its reputation and ongoing disruption to both its flight schedule and forward bookings.
Manufacturer of the aircraft Airbus is also seeking compensation.