Oxygen bottles passed

There is no evidence of systemic safety problems with aircraft oxygen bottles, according to an interim report on the explosion of an oxygen bottle on a Melbourne-bound Qantas flight in July last year.

The explosion ripped a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747 which was flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne causing a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said all pressure tests of the cylinders met or exceeded the relevant safety specifications, with recorded rupture pressures being over twice the maximum working pressure of the cylinders.

The flight, carrying 365, plunged 6000m before stabilising, then made an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila.