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After a string of safety issues arose earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration placed restrictions on United Airlines ability to add new aircraft and new routes. During the hiatus, the FAA conducted a review of the airline’s safety procedures after a wheel fell off an aircraft damaging cars in a parking lot in San Francisco, a United flight skidded off a runway in Houston, and another flight lost a fuselage panel in flight.
The carrier ended up delaying two new routes and not accepting three new 737 MAX 9 deliveries because the restrictions prevented them from being added to their operating certificate. United CEO Scott Kirby has been cooperating with the FAA and conducting a parallel internal review to improve safety procedures.
The carrier stated, in a message to employees, “after a careful review and discussion about the proactive safety steps United has taken to date,” the FAA will restore United’s ability to add new routes and new aircraft without specific FAA approval.
The company acknowledged “there is more work to do, and we remain open to their perspective on things that can make us an even safer airline,” the message said. United did not specify the actions taken that convinced the FAA to restore the airline’s authority to introduce new routes and new aircraft.
This may enable United to take-on A321neo aircraft that may become available in the wake of the jetBlue-Spirit merger ruling, as both carriers deferred deliveries of the world’s hottest selling aircraft.
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