Southwest Airlines maintenance scandal briefly grounds 41 planes
Thursday, March 13th, 2008 - 1:45 pm
The leading American low-cost-carrier Southwest operates a fleet of 520 planes, all B737s. About 150 of them are older 737-300 models built in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
For the second time in a week, there was internal confusion at Southwest about the requirements and performance of maintenance related to fuselage cracks on older aircraft. Yesterday Southwest was forced to ground 43 planes for re-inspection and to avoid doubt on their safety. It promised to fly its full schedule today after rushing the planes back into service.
The US FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) has fined Southwest $10.2 million USD for failing to properly document similar required safety inspections during March 2007. After disputing those allegations when they arose on March 6, 2008, the airline yesterday suspended three employees while it continues its own investigation. (Sources: Globe and Mail, page B11, “Southwest grounds 41 planes”; Southwest Airlines press releases; Los Angeles Times, “Southwest encounters new safety problem“)
