Southwest declares ‘operational emergency’ with high number of planes out of service
Southwest Airlines Co. issued an “operational emergency” Friday as an unusually high number of aircraft were taken out of service throughout the week.
The airline’s maintenance workers were ordered to report to work for the “all hands on deck” situation, Southwest said in a press release. In a memo sent to workers, management said those who refuse to show up for emergency repairs could face firing, Bloomberg reported.
On average, about 20 planes are unexpectedly out of service for maintenance items, Southwest said. However, each day this week, the number of planes out of service has doubled.
There is no common theme among the reported problems, Southwest said.
“To take care of our Customers, we are requiring all hands on deck to address maintenance items so that we may promptly return aircraft to service,” Southwest said int he press release. “At the same time, our operational planners have been working in the background to minimize the impact to our Customers.”
