An investigation into Qantas’s maintenance standards has found the Manilla oxygen bottle explosion to be an isolated incident, but also revealed the airline is operating below its own safety benchmarks.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority launched the review in Qantas, after a string of mechanical problems on the airline's jets.
Dave Oliver from the Manufacturer Workers Union says Qantas needs to treat its engineers properly, or things could turn ugly.
"We've warned them continually," Mr Oliver said.
"If they continue to go down the path of cost cutting, if they continue to go down the path of putting profits before safety there'll come a point in time where they'll lose their reputation as being the safest airline in the world."
Today, CASA has recommended Qantas make a range of improvements to aircraft maintenance systems as well as a plan to address deficiencies.
Two audits will be carried on each plane in the airline's fleet, as well as on the effectiveness of Qantas to manage and implement airworthiness.
The review has also unveiled a decline in maintenance performance below Qantas's own benchmarks, but says the explosion of an oxygen bottle onboard a 747 in Manilla last month, is unrelated.