Two Jetstar A320s are being repaired after being covered in fire retardant foam at its MRO facility in Newcastle.

A spokesman for the carrier tells Flightglobal that on 23 April, the fire retardant system in the hangar was triggered, which is believed to have been related to storm damage.

Pictures on social media show the retardant up to wing level on the two aircraft, and inside the cargo hold of one of the aircraft.

“Our engineers are currently assessing aircraft that were in the hangar at the time of the event,” he adds. “There are some works required before returning the aircraft to service, however these aren't significant.”

Sources indicate that the two aircraft involved are registered as VH-VQW (MSN 2329) and -VQC (3668).

Flightglobal’s Ascend Fleets database shows that VQC is leased from AerCap, while VQW is leased from Hong Kong Aviation Capital.

Source: Cirium Dashboard