Qantas is cancelling several flights this Friday (16 May) as the carrier is hit by an engineering dispute.

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) is to stage a four-hour ‘stop work meeting’ between 14:00 and 18:00 in what Sydney media are reporting is a dispute concerning pay.

Qantas is resisting the action fiercely however, and as the overtime ban bites into services, chief executive Geoff Dixon insisted its implication would be limited.

“To address this [overtime ban], we have cancelled a limited number of domestic services during that period,” he said. “We have begun contacting customers and re-booking them on other services and everything will be done to get them to their destinations as soon as possible.”

The Qantas chief conceded there would be delays on Friday and as yet, it is unclear whether further industrial action is planned. However, Dixon pulled no punches when he said the argument had nothing to do with safety, which he said ALAEA always raised during disputes with the airline.

“Of course, it is no co-incidence that when the union is on a crusade for more money, it decides to play the safety card,” he said.

“Safety is our top priority – we never have and never will compromise this.”

Information on schedule changes will be available on www.qantas.com