The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stepped up scrutiny of Southwest Airlines following a series of recent close calls and other accidents.
The airline has had several safety incidents in recent months, including a mid-flight plunge to low altitude, according to the Associated Press.
In an emailed statement to The Hill, Southwest Airlines said it is working closely with the FAA to investigate the recent events.
The airline said it has a safety program in place that includes an “FAA-approved Safety Management System (SMS)” that helps it “manage and mitigate operational risks and execute safe operations.”
“We recently formed a dedicated team of subject matter experts and leaders from Southwest Airlines, our union partners and the FAA to enhance our existing SMS,” Southwest said. “The group is tasked with conducting an in-depth, data-driven analysis to identify opportunities for improvement.”
The airline said nothing is more important than the safety of its customers and employees.
The FAA declined to provide details of its plans but said it was “increasing its oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure compliance with federal safety regulations through its certificate holder evaluation process.”
“Safety will dictate the schedule,” officials said.
In recent weeks, there have been two incidents of Southwest Airlines planes flying abnormally low, miles from airports, in Oklahoma and Florida. In Maine, a Southwest plane took off from a closed runway.
In April, a Southwest Airlines plane nosedived over the coast of Hawaii, coming within 400 feet of the ocean, and in May, a Southwest Airlines plane went into a “Dutch roll,” a dangerous rolling motion that can be difficult to recover from.
The incident and the FAA’s scrutiny come as airlines across the U.S. are stepping up scrutiny after a door panel on an Alaska Airlines plane blew off in flight in January.
