US aviation authorities have given permission to Southwest Airlines to continue flying planes that missed a safety inspection, as long as they are checked within five days.
The budget carrier grounded 128 aircraft on Tuesday, leading to 90 flight cancellations, after it realised that it had missed planned inspections of its single-aisle Boeing 737 aircraft.
Southwest immediately notified the US Federal Aviation Administration of the lapse.
“The airline voluntarily removed these aircraft from service while the FAA works with Boeing and Southwest to evaluate a proposal that would allow the airline to continue flying the planes until the inspections are completed over the next few days,” the FAA said.
The FAA later said it would allow the airline to continue operating the planes while the checks are being completed.
Southwest was previously ordered by the FAA to pay a record $10.2 million for flying jets on thousands of flights in 2006 and 2007 without carrying out full inspections.
