US FAA says it has not approved any United Airlines route, fleet expansions

The FAA said Thursday it has not approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets and is requiring the presence of FAA personnel when United conducts final inspections of new aircraft replacing older models. Earlier on Thursday, United Airlines told employees it had gotten some "good news" saying the FAA has allowed the airline "to begin the process of restarting our certification activities, including new aircraft and routes." Some airline certification activities were halted after the FAA said in March it was increasing its oversight of United following recent safety incidents. The aviation regulator said then it was initiating a formal evaluation to ensure the Chicago-based carrier was complying with safety regulations. "The FAA has not approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets," the FAA said Thursday, adding the review, known as the Certificate Holder Evaluation Program, "is ongoing and safety will determine the timeline for completing it." The FAA said the evaluation is to ensure the Chicago-based airline "is complying with safety regulations; identifying hazards and mitigating risk; and effectively managing safety." United in an email to its employees on Thursday said the FAA was allowing the company to begin the certification process restart "after a careful review and discussion about the proactive safety steps United has taken to date."<br/>