Southwest Airlines said it has removed 128 planes from service after discovering they were overdue for maintenance.(Photo: Arizona Republic)


Story Highlights



  • Dallas-based airline says they were overdue for maintenance checks on the backup hydraulic system

  • The airline canceled 80 of 3,400 flights Tuesday flights as a result

  • Flight cancellations for Wednesday will be minimal due to action plan approved by FAA, airline says.

  • Southwest is the second busiest carrier at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with more than 170 daily departures



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Overdue maintenance inspections prompted Southwest Airlines to ground 20 percent of its fleet late Tuesday before the carrier received federal clearance to continue flying the airplanes as it completes inspections.


The airline said it removed 128 of its Boeing 737s from service after discovering an overdue maintenance check on the standby hydraulic system. Eighty flights were canceled as a result.


Southwest did not provide a breakdown of cancellations by city, but the airline has one of its largest operations at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with 170 daily departures.


The airline said it expects a "very minimal impact" Wednesday on operations, thanks to a deal struck Tuesday night with the Federal Aviation Administration that allows Southwest to continue operating the affected aircraft for up to five days as the overdue maintenance is completed.


"Once identified, Southwest immediately and voluntarily removed the affected aircraft from service, initiated maintenance checks, disclosed the matter to the FAA, and developed an action plan to complete all overdue checks," the airline said in a statement.


Southwest canceled eight non-stop flights from Phoenix after 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to FlightStats.com, but it was unclear whether those cancellations were due to the overdue inspections. The affected flights were to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Burbank, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Reno.


A spokeswoman said the exact number of flight cancellations for today and beyond had not been determined. FlightStats showed no Southwest cancellations for today as of 10:40 p.m. Arizona time Tuesday.


The airline said Tuesday that it would be continuing the inspections through the night. Each inspection takes about two hours. Passengers can check flight status at Southwest.com.


"The safety of our employees and customers remains our highest priority and we are working to resolve this matter swiftly," Southwest's statement said.


The FAA said in a statement: "Late Tuesday afternoon, Southwest Airlines notified the Federal Aviation Administration that it had missed some required inspections on the standby rudder system for 128 of its Boeing 737 aircraft."


Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a $12 million fine against Southwest for failing to comply with FAA regulations related to repairs on Boeing 737s.


Allegiant Air, a smaller discount carrier with less frequent flights, had to ground many of its MD-80s for emergency slide inspections in late 2013 after discovering they were overdue for a check. The move caused flight cancellations and delays at airports, including at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in east Mesa.


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