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Allied Pilots Association: "We Concur With The FAA's Reasoning" in Grounding 737 MAX

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 13, 2019) — The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, acknowledged the wisdom of the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to ground the 737 MAX.

"We stand by the statement we issued yesterday evening regarding our confidence in the aircraft and in our members' ability to safely fly it, but just as Boeing has stated, we concur with the FAA's reasoning," said APA President Capt. Daniel F. Carey. "We want passengers to know that their safety will always be our first priority."

In a statement, Boeing said that it agreed with the decision to ground the planes "out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft's safety."

"As APA turns its attention to the impact of this decision on the pilots we represent and the passengers we serve, we await the results of the accident investigations concerning Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302," he said. "We owe it to the 346 people who lost their lives in these two tragic accidents to do all we can to prevent a recurrence."

Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots union in the United States — is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union's website is AlliedPilots.org. American Airlines is the world's largest passenger airline.