United Airlines Grounds 747s

The Dallas Morning News broke a story this morning regarding a Congressional inquiry into the FAA’s handling of a Continental Airlines’ mishap. The paper writes: “A congressional committee is investigating regulators' decision to grant immunity to Continental Airlines pilots for mistakes that led to an El Paso mechanic being sucked into a jet engine in 2006… The FAA granted amnesty over the objections of a veteran safety inspector, Phil Thrash, who reported his concerns to the FAA's administrator and the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general… They washed their hands of the whole matter," Mr. Thrash said of FAA managers. "It was a cover-up.”

Late this afternoon, the Wall Street Journal reported that United Airlines today has grounded up to 6 Boeing 747 jumbo jets because of faulty work performed by a foreign aircraft maintenance facility in Korea. On the heels of the unfolding Southwest Airlines / FAA debacle, this is more evidence that Congress must act with a sense of urgency to pass the FAA Reauthorization bill, which includes measures to address a growing threat to passenger safety and homeland security. 

“There are multiple standards for aircraft maintenance regulations, FAA oversight and TSA security regulations,” stated Kevin Mitchell, Chairman of the Business Travel Coalition. “Inexcusably, the Reauthorization bill is stalled in the Senate over a $25.00 landing fee, to balance out the financing of the system, while a vividly clear and present danger to passengers and our homeland increases daily. If this Senate impasse is not resolved in coming weeks, there will be no Reauthorization bill for at least another year.

Mitchell continued, “This failure of leadership on such a strategically important issue to this country is regrettable. There is simply no problem in commercial air transportation today of greater consequence facing the government, industry and consumer. BTC calls on Senate leadership to help resolve this gridlock and move the Reauthorization bill forward. Importantly, Congress should add to the bill a directive to the National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board, to perform a top-down review of the FAA.”

For additional background on this issue visit BTC's Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing Issue Center.