The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced all 171 Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft will remain grounded after a window and chunk of fuselage blew out of one of its Alaska Airlines passenger planes in mid-air.
The US transportation agency said the planes would not fly until “enhanced inspections” of jets were completed including both left and right cabin doors, exit plugs, door components, and fasteners.
It had ordered the grounding for checks of planes installed with the same kind of panel that fell from the brand new jet on Friday, which weighs about 27 kg and covers an optional exit door.
The FAA had said on Saturday it expected the inspections would take four to eight hours.
Alaska Airlines announced cancellations of some 140 flights for Monday due to the grounding.
While only minor injuries were reported from the blowout, the situation could have been “very dangerous,” according to David Learmount, consulting editor at Flightglobal.
“If there were people near it who were not wearing the seatbelts they would have disappeared,” he told Sky News.
Boeing said it “fully supports” the administration’s decision to require inspections of 737-9 MAX planes “with the
same configuration” as the aircraft that was forced to land.
It is the latest issue for Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, after its 737 MAX aircraft were grounded for a year and a half following two crashes in 2018 and 2019.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
This story originally appeared on Skynews
