U.S. aviation regulators will require carriers to inspect about 175 older Boeing Co. 737s, the world’s most widely flown jet, for fuselage cracks after a Southwest Airlines Co. plane split open in flight.
An emergency directive will be issued today, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Monday. There are about 1,800 of those models in service. The FAA is requiring inspections only on planes that have taken off and landed more than 30,000 times.
Cracks were discovered on three Southwest 737-300s in inspections for metal fatigue after the Friday incident over Arizona. The carrier canceled 70 flights Monday, following 600 over the weekend, as it worked to finish examining 79 of the jets.
The Dallas-based carrier, which is Denver’s third-largest airline, had one Denver flight canceled Monday.
Airlines must make regular checks of planes for metal fatigue, which can occur as jets endure the stress of takeoffs, landings and the low outside air pressure of high-altitude flight.
“Southwest’s high utilization of its aircraft and short average flight length means that its planes accumulate more takeoffs and landings than do most airlines’ fleets in a given time frame,” James Higgins, an analyst for New York-based Soleil Securities, said in a report. Higgins has a “buy” rating on Dallas-based Southwest.
Boeing is issuing its own service bulletin urging carriers to check lap joints on some 737-300s, 737-400s and 737-500s, said Marc Birtel, a spokesman in Seattle.
