Southwest Airlines Can Use Planes That Missed Inspection, FAA Says

Published at 5:39 am, February 25, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

iStock Editorial/Thinkstock(DALLAS) — Southwest Airlines can continue to use planes that missed an inspection of the standby hydraulic system as long as the planes are checked over the next five days, Federal officials said late Tuesday.

According to a statement by the airline, the Boeing 737-700 jets were found to have overflown a required check, prompting Southwest to ground 128 planes.

After discovering the missed inspection, the airline notified federal safety regulators and developed a plan to complete the overdue checks. Southwest ended up canceling about 80 flights Tuesday as a result of the situation, the airline announced.

“The airline voluntarily removed these aircraft from service while the FAA works with Boeing and Southwest to evaluate a proposal that would allow the airline to continue flying the planes until the inspections are completed over the next few days,” the FAA said in a statement.

World News Videos | US News Videos

SUBMIT A CORRECTION