Regional Air Carrier ASA Grounds Jets For Inspections

ATLANTA (AP) - Atlantic Southeast Airlines, one of nine regional carriers for Delta Air Lines, says it grounded 60 of its 112 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jets after an internal audit raised safety concerns.

The groundings caused scattered flight cancellations throughout the day, but ASA declined to disclose how many. Company spokeswoman Kate Modolo says the carrier hopes to have all the planes returned to service by 8 p.m. Thursday.

Modolo says the audit raises questions about whether the engines on Bombardier CRJ200 jets were inspected according to the guidelines provided by the engines’ manufacturer. She says the company reported the problem to the Federal Aviation Administration and grounded the planes so they could be re-inspected.