Suspected security breaches at a Maine airport that allowed 9/11 hijackers to take over a United Airlines jet and fly it into one of the World Trade Center towers are not the airline's fault, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein came as he granted a request by United Airlines and its parent, United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE:UAL), to dismiss negligence claims by Larry Silverstein, who holds the leases on the World Trade Center property in New York City, Reuters said.

The United flight crashed into 7 World Trade Center, which collapsed hours after getting hit by debris from the crash of an American Airlines flight into 1 World Trade Center.

The Sept. 11, 2001, suicide attacks, which involved four hijacked commercial passenger jets, left 2,996 people dead, including 19 hijackers from the Islamist group al Qaeda.

Shares of UAL fell 14 cents to $19.63 in midday trading.