The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $1.55 million civil penalty againstFederal Express for allegedly failing to revise its Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program in
accordance with FAA regulations.Federal Express allegedly failed to ensure that the air carrier used approved standards,inspections, and time limitations for 14 cargo Unit Load Devices (ULDs) used on the company’sairplanes beginning in early 2008. The civil penalty addresses 124 flights from March 20 to April17, 2008, the US civil aviation authority announced.
“When it comes to maintenance, it’s unacceptable for any air carrier not to meet the FAA’sstandards,” said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt.
During a routine surveillance from March 14-20, 2008, FAA inspectors determined that FederalExpress had failed to incorporate Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) into its Continued AirworthinessMaintenance Program for 14 cargo ULDs. The TSOs contain specific maintenance instructions for theULD smoke detector, power distribution feed, and batteries. Federal Express could not ensure thatit used approved maintenance standards for the 14 newly installed ULDs because the company failedto make the necessary revisions to its program for overhauling and inspecting the devices.
On March 20, 2008, Federal Express was notified of the problem by the FAA but did not make thenecessary revisions to its Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program until April 17, 2008.Federal Express has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond to theagency.
In response, a FedEx spokesman told US media that the company would appeal against the penalty.FedEx said its safety programme exceeded FAA safety requirements and there had not been any safetyissue relating to the containers at any time.
