In the spring of 2008 several flights got cancelled for maintenance lapses and for that Federal regulators are all set to bring a proposal of penalizing American Airlines levying a charge of twenty five million dollars or more. The fact has been given by someone familiar with the matter.

The decision would be coming after two long years of tussle between the airlines and the regulator. It would bring an end to the debate ranging within the government and efforts given by American Airlines to improve its maintenance procedures to avoid such a fine.

According to the people aware of the matter, high level officials from Federal Aviation Administration seemed adamant about penalizing American Airlines which could be three times more than any other penalty levied on any other US airlines. This is being brought to warn other airlines so that they comply with the strict rules of maintenance set by the FAA.

However no final decision has been taken, the airlines too did not report of receiving any punishment from the authority and the amount can be altered bringing in last- minutes changes.

American had been repeatedly warned that action would be taken against them by outside experts since the incident of 2008.

Lawyers of the FAA along with officials of the headquarters are determined to see that the airline company shells out twenty five million dollars or more. According to other government and industry officials, the amount could be more and reach a sum of thirty million dollars.

Initially several FAA managers even thought of levying a penalty of one hundred million dollars but their proposal was rejected by senior official of the FAA.

It goes without saying that American will try to lower the penalty amount by challenging the size of the penalty which has happened in the past with other airlines also.