Originally Posted by
KnightFlyer
Minor for Sally ...
The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a civil penalty of $689,800 against FedEx Corp. (FDX), saying the world’s largest cargo airline violated U.S. hazardous- materials regulations.
FedEx failed to provide pilots with complete and accurate information about hazardous materials on board their planes in 89 instances from June 13, 2009, to Sept. 4, 2009, the FAA said in a statement today. Between June 18, 2009, and Aug. 26, 2009, FedEx accepted four shipments of hazardous materials for air transportation that weren’t accurately described and certified in shipping documents, the agency said.
“Pilots must know they are carrying dangerous goods so they can take all necessary safety precautions,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. “Shippers and airlines must follow the rules so they are able to move these materials safely.”
The citations were for “minor documentation errors,” Sally Davenport, a spokeswoman for Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx, said by telephone today.
Davenport said she didn’t immediately know the contents of the 89 packages. “All of these shipments traveled safely through our system and never posed any danger whatsoever to our aircraft or our crew members,” Davenport said.
FedEx Express, the company’s air service, handles 3.5 million packages every day, 0.5 percent of which have contents classified as hazardous materials, according to Davenport. About one-third of the hazardous-material shipments involve food, dry ice, paint, perfume and other everyday items, she said.
FedEx has asked to meet with FAA officials to discuss the proposed penalty, Davenport said. The company has “addressed the deficiency with those involved in the matter -- our employees, in other words -- and provided them with feedback and additional training,” she said.