Southwest Air orders more pilot training after safety lapses

Southwest Airlines Co. is requiring all of its pilots to undergo additional training at its Dallas base after a series of flight incidents this year triggered an enhanced safety review by US regulators.

The one-day sessions are intended to foster discussions among aviators about “specific events and working together as a flight crew to appropriately manage risks,” according to a company memo seen by Bloomberg. The carrier plans to bring its personnel to a training facility at its headquarters starting in November and continuing into next year. 

“Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in safety events” the memo said, noting that “meaningful work is underway to address these events and advance our safety.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration in July launched an audit of the carrier following multiple flight safety incidents. In April, a Southwest flight plunged to within 400 feet of the ocean off Hawaii. Two other flights — one in June in Oklahoma City and one in July in Tampa, Florida — also flew unusually low, while an aircraft took off from a closed runway in separate lapse.

The FAA’s review of Southwest and a similar inquiry into United Airlines Holdings Inc. underscore a heightened focus on safety after multiple carriers experienced headline-grabbing incidents this year. Most notable was a January near-catastrophe in which a door covering blew off a Boeing Co. 737 Max operated by Alaska Airlines shortly after takeoff. 

Before the FAA began its review, Southwest had formed a team including regulators, airline leaders and pilot union members to identify areas of improvement in its safety management system. 

That internal review team has also held listening sessions with pilots, reviewed earlier in-flight events and released new mandatory training, according to the Aug. 9 memo.

In an interview on Tuesday, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker called Southwest’s additional training “a healthy sign” and said the carrier has “tended to be in front of the issue as this has developed.”

The FAA is close to completing its review of United, Whitaker said. An earlier decision to lift some restrictions it had imposed on the carrier indicates “we haven’t found any significant concerns as we’ve gone through this,” Whitaker said, declining to be more specific.

The inquiries provide the agency with “a little bit more intensive engagement with the airline from the CEO level down” to examine possible sources of risk at the carriers, he said.

A representative for Southwest Airlines’ pilots union didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Southwest’s shares were little changed in after-hours trading on Tuesday.