Following a near-catastrophic incident on an Alaska Airlines airplane, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that all 737 MAX 9 aircraft would remain grounded until Boeing delivers additional information.
“For the safety of American travelers the FAA will keep the Boeing 737-9 MAX grounded until extensive inspection and maintenance is conducted and data from inspections is reviewed,” the FAA said in a statement.
A panel referred to as a “door plug” blew away mid-flight on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, resulting in an emergency landing and a spectacular event on January 5. There were no significant injuries or fatalities.
The first significant in-flight safety problem on a Boeing since the deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in a protracted aircraft grounding, the FAA has opened a safety investigation into the event.
“We are working to make sure nothing like this happens again,” FAA administrator Mike Whitaker said.
“Our only concern is the safety of American travelers and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not return to the skies until we are entirely satisfied it is safe.”
The FAA said it needed additional information from Boeing before approving the manufacturer’s proposed inspection and maintenance instructions.
The agency stated that it “will not approve the inspection and maintenance process until it reviews data from the initial round of 40 inspections,” nevertheless stating that it was “encouraged by the exhaustive nature of Boeing’s instructions for inspections and maintenance.”
The FAA announced earlier on Friday that it intended to audit Boeing’s 737 MAX production line and suppliers as part of its increased control of the company’s manufacturing and production processes.
The regulatory body declared that it was also looking at using an impartial third party to supervise Boeing’s inspections.
“It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess any associated safety risks,” Whitaker said.
“The grounding of the 737-9 and the multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk.”
The FAA action has affected hundreds of flights.
Alaska Airlines, which operates 65 737-9 MAX planes, said it was cancelling around 110-150 flights a day through Tuesday due to the grounding.
