Summary
- United Airlines has reportedly passed an FAA audit, allowing the airline to add new aircraft and routes to its operations.
- Still, the FAA will continue monitoring the airline’s operations.
- In addition, United Airlines introduced a new onboard safety video.
Reports have indicated that United Airlines has passed an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the airline to add new aircraft and routes to its operations. The regulator initiated the audit after a string of incidents that involved the airline’s aircraft throughout 2024.
Adding aircraft and routes
According to a report by Live and Let’s Fly, the airline sent out a memo to employees, confirming that United Airlines had successfully passed the FAA’s check, with the regulator’s Certificate Management Office allowing the carrier to begin the process of restarting the certification of new aircraft and routes. Simple Flying has approached United Airlines for a comment.
However, the airline warned that it would continue working with the FAA, adding that the latter’s presence will continue to be seen throughout its operations for the time being. According to ch-aviation data, the airline has taken delivery of only one aircraft in April and so far in May, an Airbus A321neo, registered as N14511, which entered United Airlines’ fleet on April 9.
Photo: Airbus
Meanwhile, between January and March, the carrier’s fleet expanded with ten aircraft, including seven Boeing 737 MAX 8 and three Airbus A321neos. Prior to the delivery of N14511, Boeing delivered a 737 MAX 8, registered as N37342, on March 27.
In comparison, in Q1 2023, United Airlines took delivery of 23 aircraft, with the airline ending the three-month period with a capital expenditure (CapEx) of $1.8 billion. In Q1 2024, its CapEx was $1.3 billion. At the same time, during the latter quarter, Boeing significantly slowed its 737 MAX deliveries following the Alaska Airlines flight AS1282 mid-air door plug blowout.
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Audit following safety events
The FAA began auditing United Airlines after the carrier had experienced a string of incidents and accidents, including a runway excursion with a Boeing 737 MAX 8 at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). In a statement to Simple Flying on March 23, the FAA said that it wanted to ensure that United Airlines was,
“[…] complying with safety regulations; identifying hazards and mitigating risk; and effectively managing safety. Certification activities in [the] process may be allowed to continue, but future projects may be delayed based on findings from oversight.”
Photo: NTSB
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New onboard safety video
Whether coincidence or not, the airline released its new onboard safety video on May 16. According to United Airlines, the video features more than a dozen of its employees providing clear instructions on critical safety procedures on an aircraft, with the shooting taking place of a life-sized, aircraft-inspired sequential reaction machine.
Still, United Airlines said that it began developing the video in June 2023, using its employees as inspiration. Furthermore, the carrier worked with the FAA between October 2023 and March 2024 to ensure that the content matched the regulator’s requirements. The video will begin showing on select aircraft on May 25, rolling across the whole fleet during the summer.
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