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SYDNEY--(UPDATE) Australian carrier Qantas said Sunday it was ordering urgent inspections of emergency oxygen bottles on its entire fleet of jumbo 747-400s after a mid-air drama, and defended its safety procedures.
Investigations into what forced one of the Boeing planes into an emergency landing in Manila with a huge hole in its fuselage are focusing on two oxygen cylinders normally located in that area.
Australian investigators, who are leading the probe in Manila, said one of the bottles was missing.
Qantas said it would complete the checks this week, adding they had partly been prompted by the discovery of an oxygen cylinder in the aircraft's hold.
"While we cannot speculate on the cause of the accident, one element of the investigation confirms an oxygen bottle located in the hold," David Cox, the airline's executive general manager for engineering, said in a statement.
"As a precaution we are therefore commencing an inspection programme for oxygen bottles on all of our Boeing 747-400s, which will be completed by Friday," the statement said.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigator told reporters in Manila earlier Sunday that one oxygen cylinder was missing, although he would not say if that was what caused the explosive bang that passengers reported.
The sudden loss of air pressure forced the plane, which was carrying 365 passengers and crew and was flying from London to Melbourne via Hong Kong, to descend sharply before landing in the Philippine capital.
Qantas, which prides itself on its safety record, strongly defended its procedures after passengers complained that some oxygen masks failed to work effectively.
The airline said the masks had been properly inspected, but suggested aircraft systems may have been damaged in the explosion.
"Qantas regularly inspects all oxygen masks in line with the manufacturer's instructions and there was nothing to suggest the masks were not in perfect working order for the flight," the statement read.
"It seems likely that some of the systems on board the aircraft would have been damaged as result of the accident.
"That, said we will have to wait for the results of the investigation to determine what systems were affected, including the oxygen masks."
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said it had asked for the oxygen cylinder checks.
"We have asked Qantas to check the oxygen bottles on the rest of the 747 fleet," spokesman Peter Gibson told AFP, describing it as a "precautionary measure."
It was being undertaken on a "better safe than sorry" basis, he said.
Qantas said it had already taken the decision to check the bottles before the request from the aviation authority.
