Australia grounds Tiger Airways after low flying

AN AIR safety watchdog yesterday grounded all Australian domestic flights of a Tiger Airways subsidiary for the next week, saying the budget airline twice flew under the minimum allowed altitude.

About 35,000 passengers are affected, and more could follow if the airline fails to address concerns quickly.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority announced that Tiger Airways Australia's entire domestic fleet of ten airliners was grounded for five business days because continuing flights would pose a serious and imminent risk to air safety.

"We don't have confidence in the ability of Tiger to continue to manage the safety of their operations," safety authority spokesman Peter Gibson said. He said he understood that Tiger was the first national carrier in Australia to have its entire fleet grounded.

Australian transport minister Anthony Albanese said 35,000 passengers will be affected.

"That is extremely regrettable, but I think the Australian public expects safety to always come first," he told reporters.

Rivals Virgin Australia and Jetstar, a budget subsidiary of the Australian flagship carrier Qantas Airways, announced that they would fly additional services to accommodate some of the stranded passengers.

The airline, which entered the Australian aviation market three years ago, alerted passengers in a statement that services will remain suspended until 9 July. Fares will be refunded.