“The first of the impacted aircraft is due to return to service today and the others will progressively return as quickly as possible, however safety remains our first priority,” an airline spokesman said.
The grounded jets included the 787 that was hit by a freak lightning strike on a flight from Melbourne to the Gold Coast on May 7, as revealed by The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, which caused extensive damage to its fuselage.
Jetstar said at the time that it expected the aircraft to be grounded for six to eight weeks, but it remains out of service three-and-a-half months later.
Two other 787s have not flown for almost two weeks, while two more have been grounded for six and four days, according to the aircraft tracking website FlightRadar24.
“We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience this disruption has caused our customers,” the Jetstar spokesman said.
“Our teams are working hard to get passengers on their way as soon as possible – we are putting on five special services to bring people home and booking seats on Qantas flights also.”
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The budget carrier’s woes are the latest blow to the Qantas Group after a shocking run of customer service issues that have damaged its reputation as travel demand bounces back post-pandemic.
Two weeks ago Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce apologised to customers for widespread delays, cancellations of flights and lost baggage, which he said were caused by staff shortages. The airline laid off about 8000 employees – or close to a third of its workforce – when COVID-19 grounded its operations.
Airport chaos could worsen next week as workers from the baggage handling company Dnata, a contractor to Qantas and more than a dozen international airlines, prepare for a 24-hour strike on September 12.
Jetstar is offering passengers up to $150 per hotel room and $30 per person for food while they are stranded overseas. The airline was scheduled to operate 26 flights from Bali to Australia between Monday and Thursday.
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