FAA's MD-11 Grounding Pushes Western Global Airlines to Furlough Pilots

Western Global Airlines (WGA) is facing its most severe operational crisis to date after the federally mandated grounding of all MD-11 aircraft pushed the company to furlough all pilots assigned to its aging tri-jet fleet.

"This is devastating to WGA," Vice President of Human Resources Tom Romnios wrote in an internal memo. "Even though WGA has a perfect safety record, [it] is the most negatively affected by the UPS crash…The current situation is untenable, threatens the company's survival, and leaves WGA no choice."

The FAA’s order was issued on November 8 following the deadly UPS MD-11 crash at Louisville’s Worldport hub. The accident killed 14 people, destroyed businesses, and temporarily shut down one of the world’s busiest cargo gateways.

With the ruling in effect, UPS sidelined its 26 MD-11s (about 9 percent of its fleet), and FedEx grounded its 28, making up roughly 4% of its aircraft. Both carriers have scrambled to replace lift as the holiday season nears: FedEx is shifting in spare aircraft and leaning more heavily on partner airlines, while UPS is receiving supplemental support from operators like Cargojet, which has deployed two 757-200s, and Amerijet, which is flying a 767 in the UPS network through December.

Since UPS and FedEx operate large and diverse fleets, they were happy to down affected aircraft in the crash’s wake. Western Global wasn’t so fortunate, seeing as it has built much of its business around the type: it owns 16 MD-11s, though 12 were already in storage before the grounding.

WGA initially expected to clear its aircraft through a “noninvasive” inspection protocol by November 14. Instead, the FAA and Boeing determined that the jets require far more intrusive structural checks, full repairs, and component replacements… all without a defined end date. With no timeline and no revenue from its fleet, WGA furloughed an unspecified portion of its 147 pilots, marking the first furloughs in the carrier’s 12-year history.

The crisis stems from the NTSB’s preliminary findings in the UPS accident. Investigators discovered significant fatigue cracking around the left engine pylon, which failed during takeoff. Imagery released with the report shows the engine and pylon separating in a fireball seconds after liftoff.

FMI: www.westernglobalairlines.com