Southwest Airlines grounds 128 planes for overdue inspections

Southwest Airlines grounded 128 planes after crews discovered the air-crafts were overdue for a maintenance check, officials said Wednesday.

The airline grounded 128 Boeing 737-700 planes after officials discovered a required maintenance check on the standby hydraulic system.

The incident led to about 80 flight cancellations Tuesday as the airline awaited a response from the Federal Aviation Administration, officials said in a news release on the Southwest Airline's website.

"Southwest immediately and voluntarily removed the affected aircraft from service, initiated maintenance checks, disclosed the matter to the FAA and developed an action plan to complete all overdue checks," officials said in a statement.

On Tuesday night, the FAA granted Southwest the OK to continue operating the aircraft for a maximum of five days as the checks were completed.

"The airline is anticipating very minimal impact to its Wednesday operation as remaining checks are completed," officials said in the statement. "The safety of customers and employees is Southwest's highest priority and the airline is working quickly to resolve the situation."

Reno travelers can expect some delays and should call or check the airline's website for updates, Brian Kulpin, Reno-Tahoe International Airport spokesman, said Wednesday morning.

"We'll be looking through the day to see if there are any impacts in Reno," Kulpin said. "I would recommend people who have a ticket with Southwest Airlines or if you're picking up someone from Southwest, then check with the airlines for delays."