WASHINGTON_U.S. and Canadian aviation regulators have ordered Bombardier Inc. to address wing malfunctions on certain jets flown by regional carriers in the United States.
Air Wisconsin operates flights for US Airways Group Inc., while SkyWest is a feeder airline for UAL Corp.'s United, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Midwest Air Group Inc.'s Midwest Airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration's directive, which goes into effect Sept. 5, covers 684 airplanes in the U.S. fleet that were built by Montreal-based Bombardier.
The airplanes have experienced so-called flap failures over several years, according to Transport Canada, which issued its own safety order affecting 87 jets last month.
"Flap failure may result in a significant increase in required landing distances and higher fuel consumption than planned during a diversion," according to the FAA order.
The FAA requires a revision of the airplane flight manual to address flap failures, training for the new operations, and mandates cleaning and maintenance of the affected shafts.
The Canadian order includes additional training and maintenance directives, and the company has until Friday to comply with its basic requirements, Transport Canada spokeswoman Lucy Vignola said Wednesday.
An FAA spokeswoman said while the flap problems are potentially unsafe, there was no immediate danger, which is why the company was given between 30 and 120 days from the effective date to make the required changes.
The required changes won't have a material impact on Bombardier's bottom line and a complete redesign of the flaps is being developed, company officials said.
Also Wednesday, Bombardier canceled planned job cuts and said it may recall some workers after deciding to boost production following better-than-expected results in the second quarter.
The affected Bombardier regional jets hold roughly 50 people. The company's main competition in this niche is Brazil's Embraer.
