US FAA ends enhanced oversight of United Airlines after safety review

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had found no significant safety issues in a review of United Airlines and ended its enhanced oversight and approval process for the carrier to add aircraft and services.

The FAA in March opened a review to ensure the Chicago-based carrier’s compliance with safety regulations after a series of safety incidents earlier this year.

“The review did not identify any significant safety issues,” the FAA said in a statement.

United declined to comment on Wednesday.

The airline in April said it had delayed the start of two new international routes, citing a pause on some certifications by the FAA following the opening of the safety review.

FAA Adminstrator Mike Whitaker, who told Reuters last month the review was “almost finished,” in May said United could accept delivery of new planes but required the presence of FAA personnel when the airline conducted final inspections of new aircraft replacing older models.

On March 15, an external panel was found to be missing from a United aircraft when it landed in Oregon. Before that, a United-operated Boeing (NYSE:BA) 737 MAX rolled onto the grass in Houston and another United 777 lost a tire after takeoff and was diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely.

CEO Scott Kirby (NYSE:KEX) referred to the three widely publicized incidents when asked about the FAA review at an industry forum last month. “None of them were related,” Kirby said.

He said there had been no major findings in the review and it confirmed the airline’s safety efforts were “really strong”.

In July, the FAA said it was launching a similar safety review of Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) after a series of near-miss incidents involving pilot-related issues that raised serious concerns. Whitaker said last month the Southwest review “is a bit more narrow” than the United one.