Qantas is doing little to allay fears over its expanding Bombardier Q400 fleet, even though another big airline has ditched the aircraft after one crash-landed when its landing gear collapsed.

A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline would monitor the situation but would not check its seven Q400 aircraft after the Scandinavian Airlines Q400 crash-landed at Copenhagen Airport on Oct. 27.

QantasLink operates the Q400 on its Sydney-Canberra route and in regional Queensland. Last week it ordered 12 aircraft, and plans to buy another 24.

The accident was the third involving SAS's 27 Q400s, with two other aircraft crash-landing in Europe last month - one in Denmark on Sep. 12 and one in Lithuania four days later.

No one was seriously injured in the accidents, but Danish aviation authorities have grounded all Q400s for a second time. SAS will permanently shelve the 72-seater Canadian turboprop aircraft.

"Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably, and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft," said SAS's chief executive, Mats Jansson.

SAS's deputy chief executive, John Dueholm, added: "The Dash 8 Q400 has given rise to repeated quality-related problems. SAS's flight operations have always enjoyed an excellent reputation, and there is a risk that use of the Dash 8 Q400 could eventually damage the SAS brand."

But a Qantas spokeswoman said the airline would not make further checks after the QantasLink fleet was grounded and inspected last month. "We've carried out the inspections as to ... the manufacturer's directions and Australia's civil aviation authority guidelines," she said.

An SAS spokesman said the airline carried out all checks directed by Bombardier after the first two crash-landings as well as additional checks and maintenance.

After last month's incidents Qantas found loose jam nuts on six of its seven Q400s less than 24 hours after clearing its fleet following visual inspections.

Bombardier recommended all Q400s that had completed more than 10,000 flights be grounded.

Shortly after the aircraft were cleared to fly following Qantas's inspections last month the fleet was grounded when Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) issued a directive for Q400s to be thoroughly inspected.

"The aircraft in QantasLink's Q400 fleet are very young and have each accumulated less than 5000 landing cycles," the Qantas spokeswoman said. "We will comply with any further directive issued ... we remain in constant contact with the manufacturer."