Southwest pushes back against report it failed to prioritize safety
The audit has not yet been released
According to an SEC filing, Southwest is removing Boeing 737 MAX jets from its schedule, now adding more doubt into whether Boeing can get these planes back in the air.
Southwest Airlines pushed back Thursday against a report that a draft audit by the Transportation Department Inspector General found the company flew more than 17 million passengers on planes with unconfirmed maintenance records over a two-year period.
The audit also found that the Federal Aviation Administration was too lax on Southwest, according to The Wall Street Journal report. The audit has not yet been released but its final version could come out in a few weeks.
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"We have communicated our disappointment in the draft audit report to the [Office of the Inspector General] and will continue to communicate any concerns directly with its office," a Southwest spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement. "Southwest maintains a culture of compliance, recognizing the Safety of our operation as the most important thing we do. We are proud of our Safety Culture, which includes proactive, non-punitive processes for reporting, including the opportunity for anonymous reports. We are considered one of the world’s most admired companies and uphold an unprecedented safety record."
The audit also faulted Southwest and the FAA after a 2019 incident in which a jet making multiple efforts to land on a runway in extremely high winds smashed its wingtips on the tarmac, according to the Journal.
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo workers walk near a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max airplane parked at Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash. Southwest Airlines said Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, that it has taken the grounded Boeing 737 Max …
The FAA's response to the incident "justif[ied] continued noncompliance with safety regulations," the audit said, according to the Journal. Roughly two-thirds of 46 FAA employees interviewed for the audit "raised concerns about the culture at Southwest," the Journal reported.
"The FAA's top priority is safety," the FAA told FOX Business in a statement. "Upon learning of concerns about how certain aircraft were added to Southwest Airlines’ fleet, the agency took comprehensive action. In addition to actions aimed at ensuring the safety of the aircraft, the FAA appointed a new leadership team at the Southwest CMO. The FAA continues to closely monitor these issues."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 37.83 | +2.02 | +5.64% |
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"As part of our Safety Culture, we have a transparent relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which includes an FAA-Approved Safety Management System designed to manage and mitigate operational risks and execute safe operating programs and practices," Southwest said in a statement. "Our operational systems are built to meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and our Safety Management System is integrated into all of our operational practices in order to evaluate and continuously improve Safety performance."
This report has been updated with comment from the FAA.
FOX Business' Grady Trimble contributed to this report.
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