Alaska Airlines Cancels All Boeing 737 MAX 9 Flights This Week After Hole Blown Into Plane During Flight

Topline Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday the airline will cancel all flights involving its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft for the remainder of the week, the latest large scale cancellation involving the aircraft after a fuselage was blown open during an Alaska Airlines flight last week, creating a large hole in the side of the plane during a flight and sparking an investigation by U.S.

safety regulators. The “significant disruption” could affect up to 150 flights per day, the airline said. Key Facts All Alaska Airlines flights on Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes will be canceled through Saturday as the company conducts inspections of the aircraft, the airline announced Wednesday. The “significant disruption” will likely affect up to 150 flights per day, according to Alaska Airlines, which noted it was waiting for instructions from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA grounded all MAX 9 aircraft with plug doors on Tuesday, adding it had provided a “method” for airlines to inspect the grounded aircraft. Boeing has also contacted airlines with instructions to inspect aircraft with the door plug, according to the Wall Street Journal. United Airlines announced Jan.

6 the company had temporarily suspended service on some of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, though it did not specify how many were affected. Panama based Copa Airlines , Mexico’s Aeromexico and Turkish Airlines have also announced they would temporarily ground their MAX 9 aircraft following the FAA’s order.

Crucial Quote Accidents similar to the Alaska Airlines panel blowout “can never happen again,” Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun said Tuesday, adding the company would “ensure every next airplane that moves into the sky is in fact safe.” Surprising Fact Alaska Airlines said Monday initial inspections of some MAX 9 jets uncovered “loose hardware,” adding to an earlier report by United indicating it found “bolts that needed additional tightening.” Key Background Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was grounded last week after the plane suffered from what the FAA described as a “pressurization issue” as it traveled from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California.

All 171 passengers and six crew members were reported safe shortly after an emergency landing. Social media video from the flight appears to show part of the plane’s fuselage blown open about 10 minutes after takeoff, exposing passengers in the cabin to the outside. Jennifer Homendy, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said Sunday that Alaska Airlines received air pressurization warnings three times in the weeks before the flight over cabin pressure concerns.

The majority of Boeing’s MAX 9 planes are used by United and Alaska Airlines, though they are also used internationally by Turkish Airlines, Copa Airlines and Aeromexico. Further Reading FAA Grounds 171 Boeing Jets After Alaska Airlines Incident Blows Hole Into Plane Mid Flight ( Forbes ) Jet Door Blown Off Alaska Airlines Plane Is Found In Oregon Schoolteacher’s Backyard ( Forbes ).