Safety compliance gaps noted for some US airlines
ReutersWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three major airlines wereamong 11 U.S. airlines that failed during an unprecedentedindustry review to demonstrate full compliance with governmentsafety directives, regulators said Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not disclose thecarriers or their shortcomings, flagged during the second partof a two-phase review of industry safety practices that endedin June. No major airlines were tagged for lapses in the firstphase, which was conducted in March.
The second and more detailed audit involved closer scrutinyof records, procedures and aircraft. All questions regardingspecific aircraft were addressed before they were allowed tofly again, authorities said.
FAA officials touted the overall safety of the U.S. airlineindustry, which carries more than 600 million passengers ayear. The agency reported a 98 percent compliance rate with itsdirectives, prompting acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgellto bristle at questions regarding the small fraction of caseswhere carriers fell short.
"This audit gives us confidence that, overall, the systemis safe and in almost every instance the airlines are complyingwith our safety directives," Sturgell told reporters. "Evenwith this tremendous level of safety and compliance, we stillhave work to do."
The FAA has been under pressure from Congress to tightenoversight of airlines after a whistleblower case earlier thisyear uncovered inspection and oversight lapses at SouthwestAirlines Co, which was fined a record $10.2 million.Southwest has resisted FAA demands for payment.
Sturgell and senior aides would not discuss individualcases under investigation but indicated the problems were notas serious as the Southwest matter, which involved flyingplanes that were overdue for inspections covering fuselagecracks.
Nor are the shortcomings on par with lapses at AMR Corp's American Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc andother carriers, which grounded hundreds of planes and canceledthousands of flights last spring for incomplete wiring work.
Officials repeatedly mentioned record-keeping problems butsaid no airline, aircraft type or safety directive stood out assingularly problematic. There is no evidence at this point thatairlines willfully disregarded directives, officials said.
The FAA examined more than 5,600 directives in the review.These advisories, most made in collaboration with the aircraftof systems manufacturer, typically range from matters as simpleas floor lighting to complex and costly or engine inspectionsand related work.
Nevertheless, the agency continues to investigate thosethat fell short and did not exclude the possibility of fines orother penalties. There is no timeline for completing theinvestigations.
Sturgell said all compliance issues raised during the FAAreview were resolved before specific aircraft were allowed tofly. (Reporting by John Crawley; editing by John Wallace and BradenReddall)