American Airlines will cancel as many as 500 flights Tuesday, with additional cancellations possible Wednesday, to conduct additional inspections of its MD-80 fleet, the airline said today. AA will inspect wire bundling in the aircraft wheel wells "to ensure precise and complete compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration's airworthiness directive," but said it is not a safety-of-flight issue.
This is the second time in two weeks American has cancelled hundreds of flights in order to conduct inspections of its fleet
(BTNonline, Mar. 26).
"We've been working in good faith to ensure that we are in complete compliance with this airworthiness directive," American Airlines chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey said in a prepared statement.
The carrier said it would accommodate customers on flights with American or another airline in the same market.
Southwest Airlines in March cancelled flights and removed 38 aircraft from service to perform inspections, following FAA allegations that it had failed to complete them
(BTNonline, Mar. 12). In the midst of FAA audits of aircraft maintenance records, American, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines cancelled flights in order to inspect aircraft
(BTNonline, April 2).