The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Boeing 717 that will have a material impact on the operations of at least two US airlines. The AD was prompted by the investigation into a 2023 incident with a Delta Air Lines 717 that landed without nose landing gear, and requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the upper lock link assembly.

The AD will impact nearly 100 Boeing 717s that are currently active with Delta and Hawaiian Airlines. Both airlines operate fleets of the aging narrowbodies that are well into their third decade of flying. The high-frequency, shorter routes that the 717s fly also mean that they have a far higher number of accumulated cycles compared to other narrowbodies, and this additional maintenance burden may hasten their imminent retirement.

The Details Of The Airworthiness Directive

On June 28, 2023, a Delta Boeing 717 was on final approach to Charlotte Douglas International Airport when its nose landing gear failed to extend. The pilots circled, attempted a manual extension, and ultimately landed the plane on its main gear with the nose entirely unsupported. All 104 people onboard evacuated safely via emergency slides as fire crews stood by, and thanks to skilled piloting, no one was injured.

According to the final National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report, the incident was caused by a fatigue crack in the upper lock link assembly, which prevented the gear from extending. The fracture initiated along microscopic tool marks on the surface of the forged aluminum component, likely from manufacturing or maintenance operations years earlier. These imperfections acted as stress concentration points, allowing a fatigue crack to begin and grow over time across more than 41,000 flight cycles.

The AD, which comes into force on January 2, 2026, mandates repetitive high-frequency eddy current inspections of upper lock link assemblies, and replacement of any damaged parts. It also specifies that replacement of the upper lock link assembly terminates the requirement for repetitive inspections. The FAA notes that the AD is required because the issue is likely prevalent across the 717 fleet:

« The unsafe condition is likely to already exist or develop on other aircraft of the same type and design. »

The Impact On US Airlines

Delta Air Lines currently operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 717s, with a total of 80 in operation with an average age of more than 24 years. These operate exclusively within its East Coast and Midwest operations, being based at its hubs of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Hawaiian Airlines has a smaller fleet of 19 Boeing 717s that it utilizes for its inter-island flights between Hawaii’s five largest airports. These are highly utilized aircraft, with some aircraft flying up to 16 cycles a day. This is not surprising given the frequency of some of the routes — there are up to 20 daily round-trips on the Honolulu-Kahului route alone.

Until recently, Qantas was also a 717 operator via its QantasLink subsidiary, with a total of 23 of the type having served with the airline. The Australian airline operated its last flight with the 717 in October last year, and has been taking delivery of the Airbus A220 to replace it, with nine out of a total order for 29 already in operation.

The Future Of The Boeing 717

The FAA estimates that the cost to airlines to conduct the inspections will be approximately $50,000 per inspection cycle, with an additional cost of approximately $20,000 per aircraft for each upper lock link assembly that needs replacing. This will add to the growing costs to maintain the aging aircraft, which are estimated at approximately $2.5 million per aircraft per year.

Delta said back during the pandemic that it planned to retire the 717 by the end of 2025. But delays in its A220 deliveries have meant that the Atlanta-based airline has been forced to hold on to the 717s for longer. The majority of Delta’s 717s are leased from Boeing, and there has been speculation that part of Delta’s order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft included the agreement that the manufacturer would take the 717s back before the end of lease. As of now, there is no fixed 717 retirement date.

Hawaiian Airlines’ future with the 717 is even less certain. The 717’s may be on the older side, but they are paid off, and are perfectly sized for it’s inter-island missions and robust enough to cope easily with the high daily cycles. The airline is reportedly considering the A220 and Embraer E2 as potential replacements, but with all the other activity surrounding its merger with Alaska Airlines, nothing has been officially announced yet.