QANTAS turns 90

On 6 November 1920 Queensland and Northern Territory Air Services began operation from an outback town in Queensland. 90 years on it is a major world airline, with a financial track record that other airlines envy and, despite occasional reported mishaps, a first class safety record.

A reminder of Murphy's law that things can always go wrong, and at the worst time, such as when you're celebrating your 90th birthday, came this week with two engine incidents in a row: a Qantas Boeing 747-400 flying from Singapore to Sydney yesterday was forced to turn back 20 minutes after take-off due to a problem with one of its engines. The incident occurred after a Qantas A380 super jumbo, also on its way to Sydney, on Thursday was forced to turn back to Singapore after a mid-air explosion in one of its four engines over the Indonesian island of Batam.

But QANTAS celebrated its 90th anniversary today with some 15,000 Qantas staff and the airline's chief executive, Alan Joyce, gathering at its jet base in Mascot, near Sydney airport, today for a special open day.

They were there to welcome Qantas’s ambassador at large, actor John Travolta, who flew his personal Boeing 707 to Sydney for the milestone event.

Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth conceded the timing was unfortunate, coming on the back of the incidents. “It is unfortunate timing,” she told AAP.

“We thought about postponing, but there are 15,000 Qantas employees and their families here today. It's important to say thank you to them. Some have worked at the company for 20, 30 and even 40 years."