Almost 18 months after completing exhaustive safety audits of the major US carriers, the Federal Aviation Administration reports that it is satisfied that standards are being upheld.
"Carriers today have stronger safety programmes because of the audits, and we have better tools to monitor their programmes," says the FAA.
The audits, prompted by the January 2000 crash of an Alaska Airlines MD-83, were completed in September 2000, but pressure from the carriers over releasing highly detailed, airline-specific results kept individual reports from being published.
American Airlines, America West, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways were audited. The audits checked internal quality control systems and safety. The only airline which was publicly required to correct poor practices was America West.
Source: Flight International
