After a series of mishaps, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it would increase its oversight of United Airlines.

“Due to recent safety events, the FAA is increasing oversight of United Airlines to ensure that it is complying with safety regulations; identifying hazards and mitigating risk; and effectively managing safety,” an FAA spokesperson said in a statement,” according to CNN. 

“Certification activities in process may be allowed to continue, but future projects may be delayed based on findings from oversight,” the spokesperson added.

Two sources informed CBS News that the FAA is “weighing possible temporary action” against the airline.

“This comes in response to a series of concerning incidents involving United aircraft over the last month that included a wheel coming off a Boeing 777, and a panel flying off an aging Boeing 737,” CBS News wrote.

Jetliner manufacturer Boeing is also in hot water and facing a probe.

Per CBS News:

Among the possible temporary measures discussed include barring United from launching new routes that it has not yet begun selling tickets for. Another being considered would be to allow the carrier to continue taking possession of new aircraft — but pausing its ability to introduce the new planes into revenue service, which refers to commercial flights that carry paying passengers.

A third possibility would be temporarily not allowing United check airmen to certify new captains. Airlines typically do those sign-offs internally.

Sources stress that discussions inside the FAA may not result in action, so some or all of these measures may not come to bare at all. United says it has not been notified of a final decision by the FAA, and those internal FAA discussions may be ongoing.

CNN reports:

The civil aviation authority’s stepped up oversight comes after a United Boeing 737-800 landed in Medford, Oregon, missing an external panel on March 15.

While no passengers were injured, the incident was just one in a line of recent mishaps on United flights — all involving Boeing jets. In just the last month, another United Boeing plane spewed flames from an engine after taking off, one slid off the runway, one lost a wheel during takeoff and another trailed hydraulic fluid.

The FAA did not specify what future projects may be delayed by its evaluation, but on Saturday, Bloomberg reported the agency is considering preventing United Airlines from adding new routes, curbing the airline’s growth.

In a Friday memo, United told employees they would start seeing “more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities.”

United said the FAA’s review would mean an “even closer look at multiple areas of our operation to ensure we are doing all we can to promote and drive safety compliance.”

United’s troubles come at a time of heightened safety concerns around Boeing, the manufacturer of most of the airline’s jets.

The most notable mishap on a Boeing jet this year occurred on January 5, when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane lost a door midflight, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane.

 

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