United Airlines is reviewing recent safety incidents and using the insights to update safety training and procedures for employees, its CEO, Scott Kirby, said on Monday. The Chicago-based airline has experienced several safety emergencies in the past two weeks, including a missing external panel, a plane rolling onto grass at an airport, and a lost tire after takeoff.
Last Friday, an external panel was found to be missing from a United aircraft when it landed in Oregon, prompting an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration. Before that, a United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 Max rolled onto the grass in Houston, and a United-operated Boeing 777-200 bound for Japan lost a tire after takeoff from San Francisco, diverting to Los Angeles where it landed safely.
In a message to customers, Kirby expressed confidence that the airline would learn the “right lessons” and “continue to run an operation that puts safety first”. “While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” he said.
Kirby said United plans to have an extra day of in-person training for all pilots starting in May, and a centralized training curriculum for new-hire maintenance technicians. The airline is also dedicating more resources to supplier network management and encouraging employees to flag safety-related issues. “Safety is our highest priority and is at the centre of everything we do,” Kirby said.
