Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thursday, December 12, 2024 79° Today's Paper


Business BreakingTop News

Incidents spur FAA to move up inspection of Allegiant Air operations

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two Allegiant Air jets taxied at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas in May 2013. Federal safety officials are reviewing operations at Allegiant Air two years ahead of schedule, spurred by incidents including an aborted takeoff and a plane that landed low on fuel.

DALLAS » Federal safety officials are reviewing operations at Allegiant Air two years ahead of schedule, spurred by incidents including an aborted takeoff and a plane that landed low on fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration routinely evaluates airlines every five years but moved up Allegiant’s review from 2018.

An FAA spokesman said Thursday that the agency is making sure that work Allegiant is doing “to address various internal issues has resulted in the desired improvements.”

The review began in early April and is expected to run through June.

Allegiant said in a statement that it welcomed the review and FAA feedback.

“We have every confidence in our operation, and commit to sharing a summary of the FAA’s review after it is concluded,” the statement said.

The FAA sometimes moves up airline inspections because of management changes, labor disputes or other factors. The FAA said the decision to speed the Allegiant review was based partly on two incidents last year.

In one, a mechanical failure was blamed for causing the nose of the plane to rise too soon during takeoff. Pilots aborted the takeoff on the runway in Las Vegas.

In the other, a plane flown by two Allegiant executives with airline-pilot licenses ran low on fuel and made an emergency landing at a closed airport in Fargo, North Dakota. The FAA closed the case after Allegiant took steps to improve training and procedures.

The airline has suffered other high-profile breakdowns and emergency landings, including an engine fire that caused pilots to abort another Las Vegas flight.

The president of the union representing Allegiant’s pilots said the early FAA review underscores the airline’s problems with maintenance.

“It’s clear that Allegiant’s bare-minimum approach to its operation isn’t working,” said Dan Wells, president of Teamsters Local 1224.

The FAA decision to move up the Allegiant review was previously reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

Allegiant Air is a unit of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co.

5 responses to “Incidents spur FAA to move up inspection of Allegiant Air operations”

  1. DeltaDag says:

    A retired United Airlines mechanic (who worked on jets acquired from defunct air carriers) told me that you’d be astonished at the wheezy mechanical condition tolerated by some other airlines. As in most things, sometimes you really do get what you pay for.

  2. HanabataDays says:

    Sounds like these guys are typical Lost Wages gamblers. The problem is that airlines gamble with our lives.

  3. SueH says:

    Oh I’m sure Allegiant “welcomed” the FAA review, like we “welcome” going to the dentist!

  4. HRS134 says:

    I will not fly on Allegiant. That airlines is way too scary for me.

Leave a Reply