The US aviation authority has mandated the suspension of specific Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following an incident where a section of one plane detached during an Alaska Airlines flight.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the inspections would affect 171 airplanes planes worldwide, according to the BBC.
In the US state of Oregon, an Alaska Airlines flight had to perform an emergency landing on Friday shortly after take-off.
United Airlines stated that it has completed the FAA-mandated inspections for a portion of its 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft.
Alaska Airlines Response
Alaska Airlines announced that 18 out of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft underwent inspections on panelled-over exits during recent maintenance, allowing them to resume service on Saturday. The remaining planes are scheduled for inspections in the coming days, according to the company’s statement.
One of the Company’s Airlines jetliner blew out a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) above Oregon late Friday, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 171 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks
No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after departure.
The CEO Ben Minicucci said the inspection of the company’s 737-9 aircraft could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company’s 314 planes.
- “We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred … and will share updates as more information is available,
- “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced,” she said.
What you should know
- This is the latest problem involving Boeing’s best-selling model, which was previously grounded for nearly two years due to crashes in 2018 and 2019.
- In a statement, Boeing said that more than a quarter of those planes had been inspected and would return to service as there were no issues found.
- The company said it supported the FAA’s decision. And was cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the Alaska Airlines incident.
- “Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers,” Boeing said.
Commercial Airline operators should just focus on Airbus planes until Boeing get its acts together.