The American Airlines pilots’ union says there has been “a significant spike” in safety problems at the airline, including fewer routine aircraft inspections and shorter test flights on planes returning from major maintenance work .
The union also says it has witnessed incidents where tools have been left in wheel wells and items have been left in the sterile area around planes parked at airport gates.
A spokeswoman said Monday that union officials raised their concerns with airline executives and were encouraged by the company’s response.
American, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, said it has an industry-leading safety management system. An airline spokesperson said American is in regular contact with regulators and unions “to further strengthen our strong safety record and enhance our evolving safety culture.”
Dennis Tajer, a pilot and spokesman for the union, said the union recently spoke with senior management, “and management’s initial response to our request has been encouraging. We intend to do everything we can to ensure that American maintains strong safety margins.”
The Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment directly on the union’s allegations or whether the agency increased its oversight of American as a result. In a statement, an FAA spokesperson said airlines must have systems in place to identify potential hazards before they become serious problems.
The Allied Pilots Association’s safety committee said in an email to members Saturday that the union “has monitored a significant spike in safety and maintenance issues across our operations.”
The U.S. union said it increased the time between routine inspections on planes. He also said American has ended nightly maintenance checks unless a plane is undergoing special care or is due for scheduled maintenance and now conducts “abbreviated” test flights on planes returning to service after major maintenance checks. maintenance or long-term storage.
The union asked its members to report any safety or maintenance problems.
“We all understand that airline crashes are the result of a chain of events – often a series of errors – and identifying even just one of these errors could prevent a tragedy,” the union said in the email.