WESTJET FLEET PART OF FAA DIRECTIVE

WestJet reports that it is aware of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) airworthiness directive released to all Boeing Next-Generation 737 operators. The directive, which is not related to any event or occurrence, refers to an issue with the protective coating on pins located in the horizontal stabilizer rear spar, which attach the main stabilizers to the fuselage. The horizontal stabilizers control the plane’s ability to ascend, maintain level flight and descend. The directive calls for Boeing operators to replace only those pins having a specific part number with an improved version prior to the aircraft reaching 56,000 cycles (take-offs and landings). Currently, the oldest WestJet aircraft is nowhere near that, at less than 20,000 cycles. “This directive does not represent a safety concern within WestJet’s fleet and no action needs to be taken outside of regularly scheduled maintenance,”said Cam Kenyon, WestJet’s executive vice-president, Operations. “As per our regular maintenance schedule, we will inspect and replace this part if needed. We do not anticipate any service disruptions.”