The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated an “immediate inspection of some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft before they can return to flight,” impacting around 171 planes worldwide. Each inspection is estimated to take between four and eight hours.
This decision follows an incident on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, departing from Portland on Friday. In flight, one of the windows exploded, causing a loss of cabin pressure. The incident at 5:00 p.m. local time forced the aircraft, carrying 177 passengers, to return to the airport.
Alaska and United Airlines possess the largest number of MAX-9 aircraft. Other affected airlines include Icelandair, Turkish Airlines, Aeromexico, and Copa.
Boeing, which has delivered approximately 218 737 MAX-9 planes globally, expressed regret and stated that safety is a top priority. A Boeing technical team is supporting the authorities in investigating the incident.
Several airlines have grounded their MAX-9 fleets for inspection. Alaska Airlines reported that over a quarter of its Max 9 fleet has been inspected, with no abnormalities reported. United Airlines grounded 46 aircraft, of which 33 have already been reviewed. Aeromexico, Copa, Turkish Airlines, and Icelandair have also grounded and inspected their planes.
Boeing’s 737 MAX planes faced a global grounding after two accidents involving the MAX 8 in 2018 and 2019 resulted in 346 fatalities.