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Carrier Serving Sarasota Grounds Jets For Inspections

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The Associated Press

Published: April 1, 2009

ATLANTA - Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a major regional carrier for Delta Air Lines Inc., said Tuesday it has grounded 60 of its 110 50-passenger jets after an internal audit raised safety concerns.

The groundings were expected to cause some flight delays for passengers flying ASA. It could take 36 to 42 hours to complete the inspections, company spokeswoman Kate Modolo said.

The airline serves eight cities in Florida, including Sarasota.

The paperwork audit raised questions about whether the engines on Bombardier CRJ200 jets had been properly inspected according to the guidelines provided by the engines' manufacturer, Modolo said.

The company reported the problem itself to the Federal Aviation Administration and grounded the planes so they could re-inspected as a precautionary measure, she said.

Some of the planes were being inspected at the airline's hub, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest. Other were scattered around ASA's other maintenance facilities.

The Atlanta-based airline, owned by SkyWest, Inc., serves about 110 markets and flies 150 planes, including 110 of the affected CRJ200s.

The number of flights affected and the length of any delays Tuesday and beyond weren't immediately known. Additional planes were being flown to some markets and passengers were being accommodated.

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