Qantas defends safety review

Qantas Airways is "probably the safest" airline in the world, according to its chief executive.

Geoff Dixon said on Monday (August 4th) that despite a Civil Aviation Safety Authority review currently underway, Australia-basedQantas is not afraid of scrutiny, reported the Associated Press.

In recent weeks, a number of flights have been forced to return to the runway due to safety problems, including a Boeing 767 on Sunday which was leaking fluid from its wing.

The authority's spokesman Peter Gibson stated: "We have no evidence to suggest there are problems within Qantas, but we think it's prudent and wise to go in with a new special team and take an additional look at a range of operational issues within Qantas."

Qantas has conducted up to 150 internal audits each year on its engineering operations.

Responding to the review, Mr Dixon told ABC Radio that media coverage of mechanical issues were damaging the airline's reputation for safety and added that he will be taking action to rectify the problem.

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