FAA Investigating Southwest Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating Southwest Airlines after a routine inspection found that the airline had installed unauthorized parts on 46 of its planes.

The Dallas-based carrier grounded those planes for several hours Saturday after the FAA’s inspection.

The unauthorized part, known as a hinge fitting, goes on the airplane’s wing, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said.

The FAA determined that the unauthorized part “was not an immediate safety hazard,” Dorr said, and it is working with Southwest to find a solution.

Though the FAA found no immediate safety issue, Southwest temporarily grounded the planes anyway, said Olga Romero, a spokeswoman for the airline.

“We did delay 46 aircraft out of an abundance of caution,” she said.

Southwest’s traffic at Tampa International Airport, where the airline is No. 1 in market share, was running a few minutes ahead of schedule Thursday, a spokesperson said. Southwest’s other Florida airports in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) was unaffected, Romero said.

With 17.1 percent of the passenger market between January and June, Southwest is the second leading carrier at FLL, just behind Spirit Airlines, which had a 17.6 percent market share. The airline grew almost 4 percent at the airport during the first half of the year.

If the FAA investigation resulted in long-term grounding of the Southwest planes, it could have a significant impact on FLL, given the size of the company’s operation at the airport, spokesman Greg Meyer said.

With 13.4 percent market share at PBIA, Southwest was the fourth-largest carrier for enplaned passengers in the 12 months ended June 30.

The 46 planes in question represent close to 10 percent of Southwest’s total fleet, but the airline would be able to accommodate passengers in the event that they were grounded, Romero said. The company has extra planes available for contingencies, she said.

Romero said she did not immediately know the number of spare planes available.

“We always are prepared to accommodate our customers,” she said.