Northwest Airlines is facing a hefty fine for safety violations on several of its Boeing 757 air planes.

And the fine could have been worse.

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a $1.45 million civil penalty against Northwest Airlines.

The FAA says the carrier failed to properly inspect windshield wiring between 1990 and 2008.

But the fine only covers five years of violations because of a statute of limitations, which FAA spokesman Les Dorr defends: “You have to realize that it’s up to the air carrier to ensure that the proper inspections or proper work is done on their airplane.”

Northwest merged with Atlanta-based Delta Airlines in 2008 and Delta has 30 days to respond to the FAA.

Delta issued a written statement Tuesday saying, “The safety and security of our passengers and crew is Delta’s highest core value. After discovering that the NW757 fleet was not compliant, NW immediately conducted the necessary inspections. No wiring defects were found and the aircraft were immediately returned to service.”