Federal Audit Says FAA Short on Inspectors for United Maintenance Checks

A US Transportation Department watchdog reported the FAA did not have enough inspectors to consistently oversee United Airlines’ maintenance program. The audit reviewed oversight work from May 2024 through December 2025 and found that staffing vacancies and turnover limited how often inspectors could be on-site and how deep checks could go. The report frames this as a capacity problem inside the FAA unit assigned to United.

Why Travel Industry Should Care

This does not mean a specific United flight is unsafe, but it does matter for trust and reliability at scale. When oversight is stretched, the regulator can miss patterns, take longer to verify fixes, and struggle to keep up with a large fleet and heavy daily schedules. That can increase disruption risk from maintenance findings, such as last-minute aircraft swaps, delays, and knock-on impacts at hubs. It also raises pressure on airlines and regulators to prove oversight keeps pace as networks grow.

This audit lands at a time when the FAA has also faced broader workforce pressure. During the US government shutdown that began on October 1, 2025, the agency said more than 11,000 FAA employees would be furloughed, highlighting how quickly staffing shocks can disrupt aviation oversight and operations. That context helps explain why regulators are under pressure to keep surveillance capacity stable even when budgets tighten.

What the Audit Flagged and What Happens Next

The watchdog says the FAA’s United oversight office had 33 percent of authorized positions vacant and relied heavily on virtual inspections. In 2024, 109 of 273 inspections (about 40 percent) were done virtually, and in the sample reviewed, many items were marked “not observable,” even when the inspection should have been postponed due to “resources not available.” The FAA said it agrees with most recommendations and plans changes through 2026 to strengthen staffing and surveillance.

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