GROUNDED Tiger Airways Australia, which previously agreed to refund all July tickets while it awaited permission to fly again (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 19), has extended the refund offer for all of August.

Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has grounded the low-cost carrier until at least August 1, due to concerns over its ability to operate safely.

Graeme Samuel, head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying: "We have managed to secure from (Tiger Airways Australia) an undertaking that for August flights, where there's still some uncertainty as to whether they will be able to fly, they've agreed to provide some flexibility."

Samuel said customers could cancel their flights up to seven days after Tiger Airways Australia resumes operations.

Meanwhile, Tiger Airways Australia has appointed Chris Manning, Qantas's former chief pilot, as its head safety adviser.