Allegiant Air under fire after ’60 Minutes’ safety report

LAS VEGAS — The low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is under fire following a “60 Minutes” investigation that is raising significant safety concerns.

Investigators with the news program found that between Jan. 1, 2016 and October 2017, the Las Vegas airline experienced more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including aborted takeoffs, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions and midair engine failures.

More than a year’s worth of Federal Aviation Administration reports for Allegiant and seven other airlines show that the carrier was on average nearly three and a half times more likely to have a midair breakdown than Delta, United, American, Spirit, or JetBlue.

Early attempts to secure comment from Allegiant were unsuccessful Monday.

Shares of parent company Allegiant Travel Co. are down more than 8 per cent before the opening bell.