Ash clears over Australian skies, but planes almost collide and the pilots are inexperienced

The week that saw most Australian aircraft grounded due to a lingering volcanic ash cloud has ended with one report of two planes almost crashing over the desert, and another that concluded Australian pilots are inexperienced.

The Australian Safety Transport Bureau found that a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330 and a Virgin Blue Boeing 737 were “about two minutes flight time apart” when warning signals sounded in the cockpit, reports www.smh.com.au.

Both planes were flying at 37,000 feet on a collision course.

An investigation by the bureau concluded a “less-than-effective recovery action” by the air traffic controller was evident in the “imminent” collision.

The traffic controller in question had reportedly been excused by Airservices Australia for more than half a year of air traffic training.

The pilots are excused flying hours, too

Meanwhile, the Senate committee that threatened to revoke Tiger Airways’ license on safety grounds has said that Australian pilots are inexperienced.

The Senate Committee chairman, Senator Nick Xenophon, said the report’s conclusions were a “huge wake-up call to the aviation industry,” reports news.com.au.

The senate report included findings that budget airlines were compromising safety, and co-pilots of budget airline Jetsar were taking to the skies with as little as 250 hours of flight experience.

However, both the Civil Aviation Authority and Qantas have sprung to pilots' defense, asserting that training is more dependent on quality than quantity.

All in a week’s work

The aviation industry lost millions dollars in grounded flights this week. For Qantas, with unresolved industrial issues with both engineers and pilots, worse could still be to come.