The Federal Aviation Administration will be keeping a closer eye on United Airlines to ensure that the carrier is complying with safety regulations, the agency said in a statement on Saturday. A formal evaluation will review if the airline is properly identifying hazards, mitigating risks and managing safety.
Although certification activities in process will continue, the FAA said, future projects could be delayed based on the evaluation’s findings. A source confirmed a report from Bloomberg news that the FAA may not allow passengers on United’s new planes or routes; however, the agency declined to comment.
The announcement follows a spat of safety incidents in the past few weeks, including an aircraft missing an external panel when it landed in Oregon, an airplane rolling onto grass in Houston, and a Boeing airplane losing a tire after taking off from San Francisco.
A memo to United employees from Sasha Johnson, United’s corporate safety vice president, stated that they will see a larger FAA presence over the coming weeks “as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities.” The memo continued to say that the safety incidents “have rightfully caused us to pause and evaluate whether there is anything we can and should do differently.”
