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The FAA completed a Certificate Holder Evaluation Program (CHEP) review of Southwest Airlines and said it “did not identify any significant safety issues.” That is the review’s conclusion—not a guarantee that every risk has been eliminated or that FAA oversight has ended.
What did the FAA find in its Southwest Airlines safety review?
The FAA said its completed CHEP review of Southwest did not identify significant safety issues. The agency’s statement does not describe the review as a comprehensive safety certification, nor does the available public material detail its methodology, the evidence examined, or individual findings.
The distinction matters: a finding about what one review identified is not a declaration that an airline can never experience safety issues. The FAA says it continually adjusts its oversight of operators through a risk-based system.
Why did the review take place?
ABC News reported on December 19, 2024, that the review followed several monthslong investigations launched in July after a series of close-call incidents. ABC described the incidents as follows:
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- In April, a Southwest plane came within 400 feet of the ocean off Hawaii.
- In May, one flight experienced a Dutch roll, an oscillating motion involving yaw and roll.
- Another Southwest flight came within 150 feet of the water before performing a go-around.
- In June, a flight descended to 525 feet over Oklahoma.
These are incident descriptions and figures reported by ABC News, not a statistical measure of Southwest’s overall safety. The FAA’s later statement was that its review did not identify significant safety issues; it did not say the incidents had not happened.
Did the FAA clear Southwest Airlines?
“Cleared” can imply more than the FAA stated. The agency completed its CHEP review and reported no significant safety issues identified in that review. It did not say that all risks were eliminated or that Southwest was exempt from further oversight. The FAA describes operator oversight as ongoing and adjusted according to risk.
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The FAA’s page also includes a Southwest statement that increased oversight was being conducted through the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process. Completion of the review should therefore be distinguished from the FAA’s continuing oversight of the airline.
What did Southwest say?
As quoted by ABC News, Southwest said it “appreciates the opportunity to engage with the FAA as part of our mutual dedication to safety. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.” This is the airline’s response, not an independent safety finding.
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A prior audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) raised concerns about FAA oversight of Southwest’s systems for managing safety risks. The audit described, among other issues, inaccurate aircraft weight-and-balance information provided to pilots and gaps in how FAA inspectors evaluated carrier risk assessments and safety culture.
The OIG page lists recommendation closure dates, with the final listed recommendation closed on March 11, 2026. That closure date is part of the earlier audit’s follow-up record; it is not a finding from the later CHEP review. The available sources do not directly compare the audit and the CHEP review, so they should be treated as distinct oversight records.
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Sources
- Federal Aviation Administration, “FAA General Statements” — the CHEP conclusion and the FAA’s description of risk-based operator oversight.
- ABC News, “FAA finds no issues with Southwest after safety review,” December 19, 2024 — the review context, reported incident examples, and Southwest’s response.
- U.S. DOT Office of Inspector General, “FAA Has Not Effectively Overseen Southwest Airlines’ Systems for Managing Safety Risks” — historical audit findings and recommendation status.
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