United Airlines’ Morocco Route Launch Delayed Amid FAA Safety Probe

The Newark-Marrakech route will not be launched anytime soon. This is because of a pause in certain FAA certifications for United Airlines following a series of safety incidents. On March 7, one of its aircraft, a Boeing 777-200, had to be diverted to Los Angeles after losing a tire during takeoff in San Francisco. The next day, a Boeing 737 MAX veered off the runway in Houston with a broken left landing gear. On March 15, an external panel came loose from a company plane during landing in Oregon.

The FAA investigation has forced United Airlines to delay the launch of routes between Tokyo and Cebu, Philippines, and Newark, New Jersey, and Faro, Portugal. It has also postponed its investor day scheduled for early next month. "Right now, our entire team is focused on cooperating with the FAA to review our safety protocols. It would simply send the wrong message to our team to host an exciting investor day primarily focused on financial results," United Airlines said in a statement.