© Reuters. United Airlines planes are parked at their gates at O'Hare International Airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 20, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
(Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is considering measures to curb the growth of United Airlines, including preventing the airline from adding new routes, following a series of safety incidents, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.
The regulator has discussed temporary actions it could take with the airline's leaders in recent days, Bloomberg said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
United could also be banned from flying paying customers on newly delivered planes, according to the report.
“The FAA's safety assurance system routinely monitors all aspects of an airline's operation,” the agency said in a statement Saturday.
United did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
U.S. safety regulators will increase scrutiny of United after several recent safety incidents, the Chicago-based airline said Friday.
On March 15, an external panel was discovered missing from a United plane when it landed in Oregon, prompting an FAA investigation. Before that, a Boeing (NYSE:) 737 MAX in its fleet rolled onto the grass in Houston. A Boeing 777-200 operated by United bound for Japan lost a tire after taking off from San Francisco and was diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely.
United vice president of corporate security Sasha Johnson said in a memo that over the coming weeks employees will see an increased FAA presence “in our operations as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities.” .
