United faces threat of curbs on new routes with FAA clampdown

US aviation authorities are considering drastic measures to curb growth at United Airlines, including preventing the carrier from adding new routes, following a series of safety incidents. The FAA has discussed temporary actions it may take with the airline’s leadership in recent days, according to people with knowledge of the matter. In addition to route restrictions ahead of the all-important summer travel season, United may be barred from flying paying customers on newly delivered aircraft, said the people, who asked not to be identified describing the closed discussions. The FAA already is suspending United’s ability to approve and promote pilots to fly different aircraft models, two of the people said. The proposed clampdown would effectively pause growth for an unspecified period at one of the largest US airlines, underscoring the heightened scrutiny on commercial aviation safety following a near-catastrophe earlier this year involving a Boeing Co. plane. Since the January incident, in which a panel blew out in midair from an Alaska Airlines jet, United has endured multiple headline-grabbing mishaps. The renewed focus reflects stresses on commercial air travel after years of rapid growth coming out of the depths of the pandemic. United declined to comment on the potential restrictions. The FAA said late Saturday that it’s increasing oversight of United to ensure it’s complying with safety regulations. “Certification activities in process may be allowed to continue, but future projects may be delayed based on findings from oversight,” the FAA said. The agency plans to increase oversight of United in the coming weeks to review processes, manuals and facilities, the carrier told employees in a memo. Sasha Johnson, United’s vice president of corporate safety, said in the message that regulators and the company agree it needs “to ensure we are doing all we can to promote and drive safety compliance.”<br/>