Some US Airways Narrowbodies To Miss Maintenance Deadlines By Lori Ranson November 7, 2003 US Airways could be forced to ground some of the 10 Airbus A319s at the center of the contract maintenance dispute with the International Association of Machinists (IAM) now that a court denied the carrier's request for an emergency stay of a preliminary injunction against farming out heavy maintenance of the planes. The injunction allowed the contractor, Alabama-based Singapore Technologies Mobile Aerospace Engineering, to complete work it started on one aircraft. US Airways wanted a stay of the order and plans an appeal. Some of the A319s, meanwhile, will be taken out of service since they'll miss the deadline for completion of five-year heavy maintenance. A US Airways spokesman said the airline is working out a plan to tap the rest of its fleet to minimize effects on customers during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. IAM claims US Airways violated its collective bargaining agreement with the union by hiring a contractor. The airline counters that it's work that's never been performed and doesn't fall within the current contract. US Airways also says it has limited hangar space to perform the work. The airline has maintenance stations in Charlotte and Pittsburgh. IAM and US Airways are expected to file court briefs this month, which means oral arguments would probably start in early December. Roger EWROPS