Southwest Airlines has canceled 70 flights nationwide today due to inspections for metal fatigue cracks, but Denver operations will be minimally impacted.
“The operation is getting better,” said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz.
A Southwest Boeing 737-300 had to make an emergency landing Friday in Yuma, Ariz., after a one-foot-by-three-foot crack in the fuselage caused a loss of cabin pressure on the flight from Phoenix to Sacramento. There were no serious injuries.
The Dallas-based carrier, which is Denver’s third-largest airline, canceled 300 flights Saturday and Sunday and took 79 737s out of service to perform the inspections. Of those, three required additional inspections after signs of cracks were found.
Only one Denver flight was canceled today. “The impact has been fairly minimal at each location,” Mainz said of the 72 airports that Southwest serves.
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
