The Federal Aviation Administration issued a new directive calling for more frequent inspections of engines following the engine explosion on a Southwest flight last month which killed a passenger.
By August all airlines must have completed inspections of CFM56-7B engines’ fan blades that have flown 20,000 flights.
Ongoing full inspections must then continue every 3,000 flights, which is generally a period of about two years.
The engines are in widespread use in fleets of Boeing 737 jets.
The FAA noted ‘a risk to the flying public justifies’ updating the safety inspection directive which it issued immediately after the incident.
An ‘unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption,’ the agency said.
"Now, we know that the engine inlet cowling suffered significant damage and lost pieces of that cowling may be responsible for the damage to the fuselage, the wing and the stabilizer," said Southwest COO Mike Van de Ven.
"The loss of a single blade inside the engine just shouldn’t have caused such dramatic impact".
Meanwhile President Donald Trump praised the actions of the Southwest Airlines crew on duty during a meeting in the Oval Office with crew and passengers.
Trump praised the ‘exemplary leadership’ of pilot Tammie Jo Shults and colleagues.
"You were calm and strong and cool. Our hearts break for the family of the passenger who tragically lost her life," the President said.
