United Airlines President Scott Kirby speaking in Chicago, Illinois, on June 5, 2019.
Kamil Krzaczynski | Reuters
united airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby on Monday sought to reassure customers about the airline's safety after a series of flight problems in recent weeks.
In one incident this month, a tire fell off one of the carrier's planes bound for Japan. boeing 777 shortly after takeoff, damaging cars in a San Francisco airport parking lot. In another, a panel missing from the plane was discovered after the aging Boeing 737 landed in Oregon on Friday.
“Safety is our top priority and is at the center of everything we do,” Kirby said in an email to customers. “Unfortunately, in recent weeks, our airline has experienced a series of incidents that remind us of the importance of safety.”
Kirby said the incidents, which the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, were “unrelated” but that the team is reviewing the details “and using that knowledge to inform our training and safety procedures across all employee groups.”
The series of recent mishaps came during intense scrutiny of the aviation industry after a door socket panel became detached from a Alaska Airlines'Boeing 737 Max 9 almost new on January 5.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating after a plane reportedly skidded off the runway at Bush Airport early Friday morning.
Source: NBC Houston KPRC2+
On March 8, a United 737 Max plane skidded off a Houston runway. On March 4, a United Boeing 737 headed to Florida from Houston returned to the airport after the engine ingested bubble wrap, and video on social media showed flames coming from the engine.
United's CEO said the airline had already planned to implement changes such as “an additional day of in-person training for all pilots starting in May and a centralized training curriculum for our newly hired maintenance technicians.”
“You can rest assured that every time a United plane leaves the gate, everyone on our team will work together to keep you safe on your journey,” he wrote.
