Alaska Airlines Halts Boeing 737 Max 9 Operations Following Inflight Blowout Incident
Alaska Airlines has once again grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after receiving indications from federal officials that additional maintenance might be necessary to prevent another inflight blowout incident. The decision comes after one of the airline’s planes experienced damage to its fuselage during a flight above Oregon. The aircraft, carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, safely returned to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.
The airline had previously returned 18 of its 65 737 Max 9 aircraft to service following inspections conducted within 24 hours of the blowout incident. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a notice advising that further work might be required. As a result, these aircraft have now been pulled from service until the necessary maintenance is confirmed with the FAA. It is important to note that other versions of the 737 are not affected by this grounding.
On Saturday, the FAA ordered the grounding of certain 737 Max 9s for inspection, a process that takes approximately four hours. Currently, there are about 171 737 Max 9s in operation worldwide. The grounding has resulted in the cancellation of approximately a fifth of Alaska Airlines’ Sunday flights and about 10% of United Airlines’ Max 9 flights.
The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the incident and is searching for the door that blew out during the flight. The investigation is expected to take several months. Meanwhile, aviation experts are surprised by the incident, emphasizing the importance of passengers remaining buckled in during flights.
The Boeing 737 Max is a widely used twin-engine, single-aisle aircraft primarily employed for domestic flights in the United States. It entered service in May 2017. This incident serves as a reminder of the safety measures and protocols that must be followed to ensure the well-being of passengers and crew members.
Alaska Airlines has grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following an inflight blowout incident that damaged one of its planes. The airline had returned some of its 737 Max 9 aircraft to service but decided to ground them again after receiving a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that additional maintenance might be required. The FAA had ordered the grounding of some 737 Max 9s for inspections, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The grounding of the aircraft has resulted in flight cancellations for both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. The incident serves as a reminder for passengers to stay buckled in and highlights concerns regarding the safety of the Boeing 737 Max series, which has previously been involved in fatal crashes.
Disclaimer: Only the headline and content of this report may have been reworked by Newsearay, staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. The Article was originally published on Source link
