The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed fines totaling US$430,000 on five companies – British Airways, FedEx, American Eagle Airlines, and two unnamed non-airline companies – for alleged violations of safety regulations regarding the transport of hazardous materials.
The largest single fine in the FAA announcement was US$195,000 against British Airways for asking its partner, American Airlines, to ship an oxygen generator from London to Dallas on Aug. 14, 2012. Transport of such highly flammable devices had been banned before that date.
The FAA alleges British Airways did not declare the hazardous materials, and the shipment was not properly classed, described, packaged, marked or labeled. The FAA also alleges that British Airways failed to label the package as an oxidizer that is suitable for transport by cargo aircraft only, provided no emergency response information with the package, and did not ensure its employees had received the required training for shipping hazardous materials.
FAA proposed another US$65,000 fine against FedEx for allegedly failing to inspect a package containing two paint cans, one of which leaked during transit. American Eagle, a subsidiary of American Airlines Group, was also accused of performing improper de-icing procedures on its planes during a stop in Sioux Falls, SD, which FAA said should result in a US$60,000 fine.
The remaining two companies were given proposed fines totaling a combined US$111,600 for allegedly failing to declare various flammable liquids that were shipped as air cargo. Each company tagged for alleged violations has requested a meeting with FAA officials to discuss the proposed fines, according to a Reuters report.