FAA begins review of Allegiant Air operations

Associated Press

DALLAS

Federal safety officials are reviewing operations at Allegiant Air two years ahead of schedule, spurred by incidents including an aborted takeoff and a plane that landed low on fuel.

The Federal Aviation Administration routinely evaluates airlines every five years but moved up Allegiant’s review from 2018.

An FAA spokesman said Thursday that the agency is making sure that work Allegiant is doing “to address various internal issues has resulted in the desired improvements.”

The review began in early April and is expected to run through June.

Allegiant said in a statement that it welcomed the review and FAA feedback.

“We have every confidence in our operation, and commit to sharing a summary of the FAA’s review after it is concluded,” the statement said.

Allegiant is the only commercial airline serving the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna.

The FAA sometimes moves up airline inspections because of management changes, labor disputes or other factors. The FAA said the decision to speed the Allegiant review was based partly on two incidents last year.

In one, a mechanical failure was blamed for causing the nose of the plane to rise too soon during takeoff. Pilots aborted the takeoff on the runway in Las Vegas.

In the other, a plane flown by two Allegiant executives with airline-pilot licenses ran low on fuel and made an emergency landing at a closed airport in Fargo, N.D. The FAA closed the case after Allegiant took steps to improve training and procedures.