The pilots union at American Airlines says there was “a significant spike” in issues of safety on the airline, together with fewer routine plane inspections and shorter check flights on planes getting back from main upkeep work.
The union additionally says it has seen incidents by which instruments had been left in wheel wells and objects had been left within the sterile space round planes parked at airport gates.
A spokesman mentioned Monday that union officers have raised their issues with senior managers on the airline and had been inspired by the corporate’s response.
American, which relies in Fort Price, Texas, mentioned it has an industry-leading security administration system. An airline spokesperson mentioned American is in common contact with regulators and unions “to further bolster our strong safety record and enhance our ever-evolving safety culture.”
Dennis Tajer, a pilot and spokesman for the union, mentioned the union spoke just lately with senior administration, “and management’s initial response to our request was encouraging. We fully intend to do everything we can to assure that American maintains strong margins of safety.”
The Federal Aviation Administration declined to remark straight on the union’s allegations or whether or not the company has elevated its oversight of American in consequence. In an announcement, an FAA spokesperson mentioned airways required to have techniques for figuring out potential hazards earlier than they grow to be critical issues.
The security committee of the Allied Pilots Affiliation mentioned in an e-mail to members Saturday that the union “has been tracking a significant spike in safety- and maintenance-related problems in our operation.”
The union mentioned American has elevated the time between routine inspections on planes. It additionally mentioned American has ended in a single day upkeep checks until a airplane is written up for particular consideration or due for scheduled upkeep and now does “abbreviated” check flights on planes returning to service after main upkeep checks or long-term storage.
The union requested its members to report any security or upkeep issues.
“We all understand that aviation accidents are the result of a chain of events — often a series of errors — and catching just one of those errors could prevent a tragedy,” the union mentioned within the e-mail.
