Some recent media reports have wrongly suggested that CASA is concerned with the fatigue risk management system at Virgin Australia.
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CASA is confident that Virgin Australia continues to operate its approved fatigue risk management system safely. We are engaging with Virgin Australia on claims raised through the media.
A robust fatigue system will always allow crew to remove themselves from duty at any time. Occasionally, this may be at the end of a long day where delays have been experienced.
This week CASA stated that 45 crew had removed themselves from duty due to fatigue in the last roster period at Virgin Australia. This figure was for the second most recent roster period and included both removals and crew requests for transport at the end of their shift.
As part of our oversight role, we continue to monitor how airlines are managing fatigue risks and encourage any pilots with concerns to raise them with us or the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Addition to statement made on 21 June 2024:
This week, CASA has again engaged with Virgin Australia as part of our safety oversight and is confident in their approach to managing fatigue and that they are operating safely. We have no fatigue or safety concerns regarding their rostering practices.