Heavy airfreight carrier Emery Worldwide moved rapidly last month to replace Emery Worldwide Airlines aircraft that were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The carrier continued its operations with little or no disruption.

In fact, in the days after the grounding, Emery reported that its weight and shipment volumes after the grounding exceeded those for the prior month. Its service centers and Dayton hub continued to operate. "There will be no interruption of freight service, and Emery air freight will meet all of the day-to-day operating requirements of our customers both in North America and around the world," said Emery Worldwide chief executive Chutta Ratnathicam in a prepared statement.

Emery was able to make the transition by using about 20 aircraft chartered from eight providers, including Ryan Aircraft, a Wichita, Kan., company that was already providing Emery with some planes. Emery regularly makes use of chartered aircraft and has established business relationships with the providers. In addition, says company spokeswoman Nancy Colvert, the current market for aircraft is relatively soft, so planes were available.

In the meantime, Emery Worldwide Airlines—a separate operating unit of parent company CNF Inc. from the Emery Worldwide airfreight company—is working with the FAA to resolve the issues that led to the grounding.

Even though the airline has been under FAA scrutiny on a number of safety issues, airline management was caught by surprise by the suddenness of the FAA order. On Aug. 13, the airline signed an interim agreement with the agency agreeing to cease operations of its 37 freighters—29 DC-8 and eight DC-10 aircraft. Paul Takemoto, a spokesman for the FAA, said the decision to ground the airline came only after the agency fully documented the extent of the violations. The grounding did not affect another dozen aircraft operated for Emery by Ryan Aviation.

Emery Worldwide Airlines managers intended to reach an agreement with the FAA by the end of that 30-day agreement on what the airline would have to do to begin flying again. Takemoto said the FAA was consulting with the airline as it prepared the plan. That agreement would be the first step toward restarting air operations. While the fleet is grounded, the airline has furloughed about 800 employees.

According to the FAA, Emery Worldwide Airlines has been under a "heightened state of oversight" since January 2000. The agency said that in its most recent inspections in May and June, it uncovered more than 100 apparent violations of aviation regulations. Those included improper repairs for mechanical problems, unapproved aircraft installations and alterations, operating aircraft that were not airworthy, failure to follow policies and procedures in its manuals, inadequate record keeping, and failure to distribute and use current manuals.