A rough landing on a United Airlines flight Friday sparked calls from Congress for testimony from CEO Scott Kirby.
United Airlines Flight 2477 landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, from Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday but left the runway and rolled onto the grass. The Boeing 737 was forced to stop and let its passengers out on the runway, where they were taxied back to the terminal. The Federal Aviation Administration announced it is looking into the incident.
“I’m calling for the CEO of United Airlines, Scott Kirby, to come before Congress to explain the multiple incidents that have occurred over the last several days, including one of their aircraft skidding off the runway in Houston, TX, today,” Rep. Troy Niehls (R-TX) wrote. “What’s happening at United?”
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) agreed, as his district is over the Houston area. Crenshaw shared a video taken by one of the passengers affected by Friday’s flight.
“My personal distaste for United Airlines aside, THIS is why we must do something about the monopolies airlines hold on certain routes. I have NO CHOICE but to use United to get back to Houston,” Crenshaw wrote on X. “They’ve downgraded my status, threatened me, and now their planes are literally falling apart and we still can’t choose another carrier. Congress should act.”
“Houston is a major hub for United Airlines and the public is concerned about the recent incidents,” Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) wrote on X. “We deserve answers.”
The airline said the recent incidents were “unrelated” and due to manufacturer error in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“We take every safety event seriously and will investigate each of the incidents that occurred this week to understand what happened and learn from them,” United said in a statement. “Much of this work is conducted together with the manufacturers, the FAA, and the NTSB as well as with the manufacturers of individual components. While this work is ongoing, each of these events is distinct and unrelated to one another.”
“Safety is our top priority, and we’ll continue to do everything we can to keep our customers and employees safe,” the airline said.
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United Airlines did not comment on the calls for its CEO to testify before Congress.
This comes after another United Airlines flight was interrupted Thursday when a tire came off the airplane during takeoff on its way to Osaka, Japan, from San Francisco International Airport. Upon losing one of its 12 tires, it changed course to land safely at Los Angeles International Airport. There, 249 passengers and crew members disembarked to wait for a new plane to get to their destination.