An international freight plane flying for Qantas was stuck with a $67,000 bill after making an unexpected landing at Canberra Airport.
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Invoices showed the freight company had to pay the bill by credit card in three instalments because it was so large, before the plane could continue to Sydney.
The diversion, in February 2017, happened a month before a controversial incident in which an escort car was parked behind a diverted Qantas plane after another unexpected landing.
An invoice and credit card receipts showed the 747 freight plane was billed a $19,000 landing charge, a $14,000 aircraft parking charge, and a $28,000 alternate operation fee, plus $6,000 in GST.
It is understood that Qantas reimbursed the freight company for the fee but is now seeking a partial refund from Canberra Airport.
Fairfax approached Canberra Airport for comment.
A Qantas spokesman said: "This is the kind of behaviour that the airport seems to think is justifiable and which they can get away with because they are a monopoly. It’s outrageous.”
In March 2017, a Qantas plane was briefly stranded on the tarmac after making an unexpected landing at Canberra Airport due to bad weather.
Qantas said Canberra Airport asked for an $18,000 diversion charge to be paid by credit card before the plane could be released.
This claim appeared to be backed up by an invoice seen by Fairfax Media.
“I have attached the invoice for the diversion today by the above noted aircraft,” an airport employee wrote.
“Please note the aircraft cannot depart until the invoice is paid. Payment by credit card please.”
Canberra Airport said the plane was only delayed for eight minutes, and the diversion was the latest in a series of unexpected landings jeopardising safety.
Canberra Airport also rejected that the plane was “ransomed”, and said it even left in time to make its allocated slot time in Sydney.
“It was the last in a series of unannounced diversions by Qantas that posed a safety risk at Canberra Airport,” a spokeswoman said.
“One such incident occurred during the refuelling of a fire fighting plane during a fast-moving bushfire.”
On Monday Qantas wrote to the Kenyan High Commission on the back of comments made by airline industry group chair Graeme Samuel, which likened Canberra Airport to Somalia or Nairobi.
“Qantas does indeed hold Kenya and Nairobi in high regard,” group executive Andrew Parker wrote to high commissioner Isaiya Kabira.
“We regularly promote your country in our various digital and marketing platforms and in our Qantas Magazine, which has a circulation of over four million readers.”
Last week the former chair of Australia’s competition watchdog, Graeme Samuel, likened the aggressive behaviour of Canberra Airport to something out of Somalia or Kenya.
In response, Kenya’s high commissioner to Australia, Isaiya Kabira, rebuked the comparison in an open letter sent to Fairfax Media.
“While it is in your full right to express your outrage, we find it extremely unfortunate that you draw parallels of inefficiency and imagery of piracy to a respected and much-admired airport of Nairobi,” Mr Kabira wrote.
Mr Samuel made the comparison at an airline industry event at Parliament House on Thursday last week.
At the same event Mr Joyce had likened Canberra Airport to a band of Somali pirates.
“Maybe the airport should be called ‘The Canberra Pirates’ because you wouldn’t have this in Somalia,” Mr Joyce said.
“You wouldn’t have this in other parts of the world. It is unbelievably appalling behaviour.”
Qantas explained the remark in Monday's letter.
“There was a reference made to Somalia to illustrate the seriousness of the issue at Canberra Airport and the parallel of piracy in the Arabian Sea,” Mr Parker wrote.
“As we stated at the event last Thursday, our 737 was detained by the airport - using a vehicle parked behind the aircraft - until payment was made, the very definition of piracy.”
