Federal Aviation Administration Slaps American Airlines With $24.2 Million Penalty

New reports are now saying that the well known American Airlines has just recently been slapped with a $24.2 million penalty over maintenance lapses. Apparently these are the same maintenance problems that caused thousands of flights to be canceled back in 2008.

The Federal Aviation Administration just said on Thursday that American Airlines has failed to take steps to prevent chafing of electrical wires in the wheel wells of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series of jets. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the wiring could have led to fires and fuel tank explosions.

American Airlines has, of course, vowed to challenge this proposed penalty. The airline is known for routinely challenging Federal Aviation Administration penalties or negotiating the penalty to be reduced.

A spokesman for American Airlines, Tim Smith, said that the events happened more than two years ago. The airline believes that these actions are unwarranted. American Airlines is confident that they have a strong case and the facts will be heard out in court.

American Airlines officials said that this dispute is over a minor matter of leaving too much space between clips that held bundles of wire together. Smith said that passengers’ safety were never a threat because of these clips.

This new penalty, however, could just add to American Airlines’ financial and image problems. Right now American Airlines is well known for being the only American airline that still lost money in the second quarter. Thus, it is very likely that this news will not help the company’s image that much. It is also going to put more of a hurting on their wallets as well.