(Washington) The American Civil Aviation Agency (FAA) will review the safety procedures of United Airlines, particularly affected by incidents with Boeing planes, according to a letter sent by a vice-president of the airline to the staff.
“Over the coming weeks, we will begin to see a greater presence of the FAA in our operations as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities,” indicated in this letter that the AFP was able to consult, Sasha Johnson, United Airlines vice president in charge of security.
“We have a strong safety culture at United. However, the number of security-related events in recent weeks have rightly caused us to pause and evaluate whether we can and should do something differently,” she emphasizes.
“We have recently increased our engagement with the FAA and they have echoed these sentiments. They agree that we need to take a closer look at several areas of our operations to ensure that we are doing everything possible to promote and encourage compliance with safety regulations,” explains the leader.
As part of this, “the FAA will also suspend various certification activities for a period of time,” she added.
United Airlines owns the largest fleet of 737 MAX 9s, with 79 of these aircraft.
“Last year, there were a number of close accidents between planes on the runways, and the sector is absorbing a massive influx of new employees hired” after the pandemic, indicates the Wall Street Journal, which revealed the information.
“United, which last year became the largest US airline in terms of traffic, has attracted attention following a series of problems on flights,” specifies the business daily.
On January 5, a door stopper in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 flying from Portland (Oregon) to Ontario (California) came loose in flight. United Airlines subsequently reported poorly screwed bolts on the cap doors of its 737 MAX 9s.
The company also said it had discovered, during checks, “bolts that needed to be tightened”.
In late February, United Airlines pilots reported that the rudder pedals of their 737 MAX were stuck after landing in Newark, New Jersey.
Other incidents have been reported, such as a missing panel on a plane, or the loss of a wheel during takeoff.