The FAA is penalizing United with a $1.1 million fine based on allegations that the airline has evaded mandatory fire safety inspections for years.

  • On Monday, the FAA proposed a $1.1 million fine against United Airlines.
  • The regulator claimed that United had been skipping a required security check for nearly three years.
  • The airline said in a statement that the safety of its flights “has never been questioned.”

The Federal Aviation Administration has slapped United Airlines with a proposed fine of more than $1.1 million for allegations that the company failed to conduct certain mandatory security checks on its Boeing 777 aircraft for nearly three years.

In Monday’s announcement, the FAA proposed a $1,149,306 civil penalty against an airline for allegedly evading mandatory fire detection system checks on its Boeing 777 from June 2018 to April 2021, leaving the planes “out of service.” flight status” more than 100,000 flights.

The FAA said that in 2018, United removed the fire warning system test from the Boeing 777 pre-flight checklist, which is considered mandatory in the aircraft’s maintenance manual.

The exclusion of the fire system check from United’s pre-flight program resulted in the airline failing to conduct mandatory safety checks, the air safety regulator said.

In a statement to Insider, a spokesperson for United said that safety is the airline’s highest priority.

United admitted it changed its pre-flight checklist in 2018, saying it was done to account for “redundant built-in checks” that are automatically performed by the aircraft.

“The safety of our flights has never been questioned,” the spokesman said.

A United spokesman said the FAA reviewed and approved its updated watchlist at the time the changes were made.

On April 19, 2021, an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector found that United’s fire alarm system was not being tested, the regulator said in a Monday letter to United’s chief executive, which was obtained by the media.

United said it “immediately updated its procedures” after being notified of the issue. But the FAA contended that the airline knowingly operated six of its aircraft without a mandatory inspection for three and a half hours even after the problem was discovered, according to reports.

The hefty fine is a relatively rare move by the FAA, which most recently decided to address possible safety issues with a joint response that often includes cooperation with the airline, according to The Washington Post.

United has 30 days to respond to the FAA’s announcement, and the airline said Monday it plans to review the proposed penalty and respond accordingly.

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