737 Max 9 jets set to resume service after craft had a blowout mid-flight
Boeing 737 Max 9 jets are slated to return to the skies this weekend just weeks after an aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines suffered a blowout mid-flight, prompting the Federal Aviation Administration to ground the plane model to undergo rigorous inspections.
Both Alaska and United Airlines, the only U.S. airlines that operate the 737 Max 9 aircraft, said Wednesday that they expect some of the jets to be ready for commercial service following the completion of final safety inspections.
The airlines both serve San Francisco International Airport and San Jose Mineta International Airport. Alaska also operates at Oakland International Airport.
Officials with Alaska Airlines said that the “first few” 737 Max 9 jets are scheduled to return Friday, while United said it’s preparing for 737 Max 9 jets to return to service on Sunday. Alaska operates 65 737 Max 9 planes while United operates 79, officials for both airlines said.
Both airlines said that the jets will undergo a final inspection process where crews will check for proper installation of the cabin door plugs before they are resecured and sealed correctly.
The inspections were ordered when the FAA grounded the Boeing 737 Max 9 jets earlier this month after a door plug detached on an Alaska Airlines plane flying from Portland, Ore., to Ontario (San Bernardino County). None of the 171 passengers or six crew were seriously injured during the flight, the Associated Press reported. The incident remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The incident prompted new concerns about the safety of Boeing’s newest versions of the 737, the Max 8 and 9. After two deadly plane crashes on the Boeing 737 Max 8 in 2018 and 2019, the model was grounded for nearly two years while the company fixed the automated flight control system, which was shown to be connected to the crashes, the Associated Press reported.
While the 737 Max 9 jets are set to return imminently, FAA officials said Wednesday that it has halted any production expansion of Boeing Max airplanes.
“Let me be clear: This won’t be back to business as usual for Boeing,” said Mike Whitaker, the FAA’s administrator. “We will not agree to any request from Boeing for an expansion in production or approve additional production lines for the 737 Max until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved.”