A Look At Qantas Engineering’s Brisbane Base

Lee Ann Shay March 17, 2020

Qantas Engineering’s Brisbane Base

Credit: Qantas Engineering
AU
Qantas Engineering opened this base maintenance hangar in Brisbane in 2005. It transitioned work from Sydney to the Brisbane base largely due to more available land.

Qantas Widebody Hangar

Credit: Qantas Engineering
AU
Qantas Engineering opened this base maintenance hangar in Brisbane in 2005. It transitioned work from Sydney to the Brisbane base largely due to more available land.

Aircraft Docking

Credit: Lee Ann Shay/Aviation Week
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Qantas’ widebobody hangar includes electronically controlled docking for two aircraft.

Software

Credit: Qantas Engineering
AU
Qantas Engineering uses IFS Maintenix as its maintenance system. Most of its maintenance, including sign offs, is done electronically.
qantas engineering hangar

Narrowbody Hangar

Credit: Qantas Engineering
AU

Base Maintenance Capabilities

Credit: Lee Ann Shay/Aviation Week
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Qantas Engineering has extensive inhouse workshop capabilities in Brisbane so most components that get pulled off the aircraft during base maintenance remain in the facility. That includes monuments, seats, composites, inflight entertainment, sheet metal, structures, fittings, non-destructive inspection and electroplating.

$70 Million In Parts

Credit: Lee Ann Shay/Aviation Week
AU
Qantas’ supply chain facility houses about 156,000 part numbers and 2.2 million parts, with an inventory value of about $70 million. It supports base maintenance, Qantas’ network and some customers who operate to Brisbane—supplying a 91% parts availability rate for base maintenance.

Ergonomic Seat Maintenance

Credit: Lee Ann Shay/Aviation Week
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The Qantas staff modified these motorcycle stands so they could work on seats in a more ergonomic way—resulting in the maintenance process being more efficient and safer. This staff-generated idea resulted from a project to reduce turnaround times.

Parts Efficiency

Credit: Lee Ann Shay/Aviation Week
This Lean-Lift system in Qantas’ widebody hangar stocks commonly used parts so maintenance staff can order a part and receive it within minutes.

Landing Gear Pits

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Pits in the widebody hangar move up and down to accommodate landing gear.

Crane in the Ceiling

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The yellow crane in the roof can move objects up to 15 tons.

100th Anniversary

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Qantas, formed as the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services on Nov. 16, 1920, will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. It started out with “joy flights and charter work” and launched scheduled mail and passenger flights the following year.

Brisbane serves as the home of Qantas Airways’ Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 base maintenance. As part of MRO Australasia, Aviation Week toured Qantas Engineering’s operation on March 12, 2020.

 

Lee Ann Shay

As executive editor of MRO and business aviation, Lee Ann Shay directs Aviation Week's coverage of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), including Inside MRO, and business aviation, including BCA.