The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on March 22 that it will expand oversight of United Airlines following a string of incidents involving the airline’s aircraft.
According to the agency, the carrier will undergo a formal assessment to check whether it is complying with safety regulations. The move could prevent United from receiving new aircraft or starting new routes.
In recent weeks, several episodes involving the airline’s jets have covered the media.
On March 7, a United Boeing 777 lost one of its main landing gear tires while taking off from San Francisco. The next day, a 737 MAX 8 left the taxiway in Houston.
A week later, the company’s Boeing 737-800 landed in Medford without an external panel on the aircraft’s belly.
There were no injuries, but the coincidence that they were all Boeing jets increased the pressure on the manufacturer, which is going through a period of uncertainty due to production failures.
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The three episodes, however, were not related to Boeing but rather to the internal processes of United Airlines, hence the FAA’s concern.
This is reinforced by reports of other maintenance problems occurring with Airbus A320 jets, such as hydraulic leaks.
