After three weeks of being grounded, the Boeing 737 Max 9 is returning to service.
08.01.2024 - 22:45 / skift.com / United Airlines / Jennifer Homendy / Meghna Maharishi / Airlines
The FAA said Monday that airlines can begin inspecting more than 100 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after a section of the fuselage on an Alaska Airlines jet blew off shortly after takeoff.
An FAA spokesperson said the agency approved a method that complies with its 737-9 emergency airworthiness directive and it has been provided to the affected carriers.
The FAA decided to temporarily ground certain 737-9s after a door plug on an Alaska Airlines plane suddenly fell off on Friday. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the accident.
That missing plug was found Sunday night in a schoolteacher’s backyard in Cedar Hills, Oregon, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said on Sunday.
The agency added that the 737-9 will continue to remain grounded until operators complete inspections on both the left and right door plugs, door components and fasteners. Carriers also have to complete any corrective requirements to the aircraft following inspections before the 737 Max 9 can go back into service.
Inspections on the 737-9 had been delayed as carriers waited for Boeing to issue guidelines.
The FAA said inspections should take around four to eight hours for each plane.
Alaska and United Airlines are the only two U.S. carriers that operate the 737-9, but the FAA’s directive also affects international carriers that fly the plane into the U.S. Aeromexico and Copa Airlines operate the 737-9 for U.S. flights.
The grounding also forced Alaska and United to cancel hundreds of flights. As of Monday afternoon, Alaska had 141 canceled flights, United had 228, according to FlightAware.
Homendy said during a press conference Saturday night that the NTSB was so far only concerned with the singular Alaska aircraft rather than the whole 737-9 fleet.
“We are not focused on the fleet,” Homendy said. “But nothing is out. We’ll go where the investigation takes us.”
The Alaska accident comes as Boeing now faces renewed scrutiny for the 737 Max. The plane was grounded for nearly two years until November 2020 after two fatal crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Since then, the 737 Max has become one of Boeing’s best-selling planes, with airlines placing hundreds of orders for the aircraft.
Boeing shares traded down nearly 7% on Monday.
After three weeks of being grounded, the Boeing 737 Max 9 is returning to service.
Alaska Airlines said Thursday the Boeing 737 Max 9 grounding will cost it $150 million and that the airline would hold Boeing accountable.
Southwest Airlines is removing the Boeing 737 Max 7 from its 2024 fleet plans due to certification delays.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is halting any production expansion of the Boeing 737 Max, after a door plug suddenly fell off an Alaska Airlines jet.
Boeing is slated to deliver a 737 Max to a Chinese airline for the first time since March 2019, according to Bloomberg.
Alaska Airlines’ CEO said he was “angry” at Boeing after a door panel on a 737 Max 9 blew out mid-air.
Boeing’s biggest customer is considering “alternative plans” for its future airplane requirements.
United Airlines is forecasting a first-quarter loss as a result of the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9.
Based on its inspection of the first 40 of more than 170 jets, the Federal Aviation Administration appears ready to allow the Boeing 737 Max 9 back in the air.
The Federal Aviation Administration is asking airlines to visually inspect the door plugs on another type of Boeing 737 jet.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 saga has impacted more than 1,500 Alaska Airlines flights as the carrier said there will be cancelations through Friday.
An Alaska Airlines flight departing Portland International Airport (PDX) on Friday night experienced a sudden cabin decompression as a fitting on its fuselage shot away from the plane, leaving a gaping hole in the airplane as frightened passengers scrambled to put on emergency oxygen masks.