Federal officials say a maintenance company hired by Southwest Airlines, which has daily service from Bradley International Airport, used unapproved parts for engine repairs on some jets.
The parts will have to be replaced, but they are not considered an immediate safety threat and regulators will let Southwest keep flying the planes for 10 days while it decides how to fix the problem.
Southwest said today that the incident led it to ground 46 planes last Saturday, causing flight delays throughout its network.
An investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration raised questions about the parts during an inspection Friday of a facility that maintains planes for Southwest. The parts, called exhaust gate assembly hinge fittings, are used in deflecting hot engine exhaust away from wing flaps. Southwest uses only Boeing 737 aircraft, which have an engine on each wing.
The maintenance company, which was not identified by Southwest or the FAA, used hinge assemblies made by a subcontractor who is not certified to make the parts, according to the agency.
Dallas-based Southwest carries more than 100 million U.S. passengers a year, more than any other airline. (AP)
