Qantas may sue Rolls-Royce if talks over compensation for last month’s Trent 900 engine blowout on an A380 are not successful.
The airline has been granted an injunction by the Federal Court of Australia which allows it to pursue legal action against Rolls-Royce in Australia if a compensation settlement cannot be reached.
According to a statement, the action ‘allows Qantas to keep all options available to the company to recover losses, as a result of the grounding of the A380 fleet and the operational constraints currently imposed on A380 services’.
Qantas reiterated that it remains committed to working with Rolls-Royce on the Trent 900 inspection program, in consultation with Airbus and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
Rolls-Royce Trent 900 A380 engines remain subject to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directive issued on 10 November, mandating that all Trent 900s undergo certain inspections every 20 flying cycles.
Qantas has so far brought two of its A380s back into service on Australia-UK routes.
The plane has not been reintroduced on Australia-US flights due to concerns over the extra thrust needed on this particular route.