U.S. Aviation watchdog must boost oversight to address Allegiant Air issues -audit

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs to improve its oversight to address maintenance issues at the 11th largest U.S. carrier Allegiant Air, a unit of Allegiant Travel Co, according to a report seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The U.S. Transportation Department's Inspector General said in a 31-page report sent to Capitol Hill Tuesday that FAA inspectors since 2011 have not "consistently documented risks associated with 36 Allegiant Air in-flight engine shutdowns for its MD-80 fleet or correctly assessed the root cause of maintenance issues."

Allegiant Travel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FAA said it agreed with eight of the nine recommendations the inspector general was making.