The FAA hits United with a proposed $1.1 million fine stemming from allegations that the airline evaded a required fire safety inspection for years

A United Boeing 777Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

• The FAA on Monday proposed a $1.1 million fine against United Airlines.

• The regulator claimed United missed a required security clearance 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 failing to perform certain mandatory security checks on its Boeing 777 planes for nearly three years.

In an announcement Monday, the FAA proposed a $1,149,306 civil penalty against the airline for allegedly evading required inspections of its Boeing 777’s fire detection system from June 2018 to April 2021, causing the planes to run for more as “not airworthy” are 100,000 flights.

The FAA said United removed its fire system warning check from the Boeing 777’s pre-flight checklist in 2018, an inspection task considered mandatory in the aircraft’s maintenance specifications manual.

Removing the fire systems check from United’s pre-flight routine resulted in the airline not conducting mandatory safety inspections, the Air Safety Authority said.

In a statement to Insider, a United spokesman said safety is the airline’s top priority.

United acknowledged changing its pre-flight checklist in 2018, saying it did so to accommodate “redundant, on-board checks” performed automatically by the aircraft.

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

A United representative said the FAA reviewed and approved their updated checklist at the time of the change.

On April 19, 2021, an FAA flight safety inspector determined that the review of United’s fire detection system had not been conducted, the regulator said in a Monday letter to United’s chief executive officer leaked to the media.

United said it “immediately updated its procedures” after being informed of the issue. However, the FAA reportedly claimed the airline knowingly operated six of its planes without conducting the mandatory inspection for a period of three and a half hours, even after the problem was revealed.

The hefty fine is a relatively rare move by the FAA, which recently opted to address possible safety issues with a joint response that often involves working 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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