Finance and Economic

American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research), on Tuesday again grounded planes and canceled hundreds of flights to conduct additional safety inspections of its MD-80 aircraft, the airline said.

American said in a statement that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised new concerns about recent wiring inspections on the mainly older narrowbody planes that resulted in canceled flights two weeks ago.

The current and previous inspections stem from an industrywide FAA review of airline compliance with agency safety directives.

Several carriers have grounded aircraft as a result of the audit, which was triggered by inspection and maintenance lapses at Southwest Airlines Co (LUV.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and pressure from government watchdogs and congressional investigators to take action http://paydayloans-on.com.

American said it had canceled up to 500 flights on Tuesday, more than 20 percent of its daily mainline service, and additional cancellations were likely on Wednesday.

“We’ve been working in good faith to ensure that we are in compliance with this airworthiness directive,” said Gerard Arpey, AMR’s chairman and chief executive.

Arpey apologized to customers for “once again” inconveniencing them.

American operates nearly 300 MD-80 aircraft, about half its overall fleet, mainly on busy routes servicing its Dallas and Chicago hubs. 

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