(Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is considering measures to curb the growth of United Airlines, including banning the carrier from adding new routes after a series of safety incidents, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday.
The regulator has discussed temporary actions it might take with airline management in recent days, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
United could also be barred from flying paying customers on newly delivered planes, the report said.
“The FAA’s safety management system regularly monitors all aspects of airline operations,” the agency said in a statement Saturday.
United did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
U.S. safety regulators will tighten their oversight of United after several recent safety incidents, the Chicago-based airline said Friday.
On March 15, an exterior panel was discovered missing from a United plane when it landed in Oregon, prompting the FAA to investigate. Earlier, a Boeing (NYSE:) 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet rolled onto the grass in Houston. A Boeing 777-200 operated by United bound for Japan suffered a tire failure after takeoff from San Francisco and was diverted to Los Angeles, where it landed safely.
United’s vice president of corporate safety, Sasha Johnson, said in a memo that over the next few weeks employees will see a greater FAA presence “in our operations as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities.”