THIS "off-shoring" I could really do without.

U.S. airlines assign critical repair work to outside maintenance centers, including overseas facilities, that haven't been inspected by federal regulators and make safety errors....Transportation Department Inspector General Kenneth Mead said in a report released Monday. The FAA hadn't inspected six of 10 centers Mead's office visited, and errors were found, including improper maintenance on a switch that might have resulted in an engine failing to restart during flight, Mead said. "Neither FAA nor the air carriers were providing adequate oversight of the work," Mead said in the report.

U.S. airlines spend about $4.9 billion a year on maintenance, and a growing percentage of work, now about half, is done by outside companies. With three of the four largest carriers operating in bankruptcy, airlines are looking for ways to cut costs and stem $40 billion of losses recorded since 2000. Mead focused his review on outside vendors that aren't certified by the FAA. The agency told Mead the centers do only minor work for U.S. airlines, such as checking oil for contaminants.

"This is not true," Mead said. Six centers his staff visited did regular maintenance, such as inspecting wings and replacing hydraulic valves, he said. Twenty other facilities were performing critical work, including engine replacements, he said. Centers in St. Thomas, Bermuda and El Salvador had never been visited by the FAA and were doing "critical repairs," such as replacing an engine electronic control unit, he said.

Drive from Seattle to Chicago and back? Hey, NO problem.

TECHNORATI TAGS: OFF-SHORING, AIRLINE MAINTENANCE, FAA, KENNETH MEAD

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at December 20, 2005 03:48 PM