An Alaska Airlines plane faced an emergency landing in Portland after losing part of its body.
The Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) directs U.S. airlines to halt the use of some Boeing 737 Max 9 planes approximately 171 aircraft for inspections.
Safety is prioritized as the F.A.A. collaborates with the National Transportation Safety Board for an investigation into the incident.
United Airlines, with 79 Max 9’s, is notably affected. Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded its entire fleet of 65 Max 9 aircraft.
Passengers describe a harrowing experience as a chunk of the plane's fuselage blows out midair during the emergency landing.
Required inspections are expected to take 4–8 hours per plane. Alaska Airlines reports no concerning findings in the inspections of a quarter of its fleet.
The Association of Flight Attendants commends the F.A.A.'s move, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing lives and instilling confidence in aviation safety.
Boeing's Max aircraft history includes global groundings after crashes in 2018 and 2019. Changes were made, and the FAA cleared it to fly again in 2020.
Ongoing concerns led to inspections, and Boeing faced a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department in 2021.
Alaska Airlines cancels about 13% of its flights, causing disruptions.
Boeing's Max planes remain widely used, comprising 4.3% of nearly 2.9 million global flights scheduled in January.
The Max is Boeing’s most popular plane, representing a fifth of all orders since 1955.
The company urges inspections following a loose bolt discovery in December.
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