Update: 5:10pm ET January 9
Inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft remain on hold.
After Boeing yesterday offered an initial version of instruction for
inspections and maintenance, the company now is revising it "because of
feedback received in response" to the instructions, according to the FAA.
"Upon receiving the revised version of instructions from Boeing, the FAA
will conduct a thorough review."
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Update: 8:36am ET January 9
As
of Monday, service on the Boeing 737 Max 9s remained suspended, resulting in
about 200 canceled Max 9 flights at United and 140 canceled flights at Alaska Airlines. “We expect significant
cancellations on Tuesday as well,” United said in a statement. Both carriers have found loose bolts associated with the door plug.
Since
United began preliminary inspections on Saturday, the carrier has found
“instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug—for
example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” United said on Monday. “These findings
will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to
service.”
Likewise, Alaska said in a statement, "Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was
visible on some aircraft. When we are able to proceed with the formal
inspection process, all aircraft will be thoroughly inspected in
accordance with detailed instructions provided by the FAA in
consultation with Boeing."
United
also noted it still is awaiting final approval from the FAA on the full
inspection process. Both airlines have issued limited waivers (here and here) for passengers to change their Max 9 scheduled flights or, in some cases, receive a refund.
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Update: 2:31pm ET January 8
The FAA has approved a method to comply with the agency's
Boeing Max 737-9 emergency airworthiness directive and provided it to affected
operators so they can begin inspections of the affected aircraft, the
department announced Monday.
All 171 Boeing 737-9 aircraft in the U.S. are to remain grounded until
enhanced inspections—which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs,
door components and fasteners—are complete. "Operators must also complete
corrective action requirements based on findings from the inspections prior to
bringing any aircraft back into service," the FAA said.
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday
temporarily grounded certain Boeing Max 737-9 aircraft "operated by U.S.
airlines or in U.S. territory" following an Alaska Airlines incident on
Friday in which a piece of fuselage came off a plane after take-off from
Portland, Ore. The plane turned around and made a safe emergency landing,
according to multiple reports.
Prior to the FAA's announcement, Alaska already had grounded
its fleet of 65 Boeing Max 737-9 aircraft after the incident to begin full
maintenance and safety inspections. The carrier anticipated the inspections
would be completed "in the next few days."
"We are working with Boeing and regulators to
understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is
available," said Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci in a Friday evening statement.
"The [National Transport Safety Board] is investigating this event, and we
will fully support their investigation."
As of Saturday morning, Alaska had completed inspections on
more than a quarter of its Max 737-9 fleet "with no concerning
findings."
A number of other airlines, including some based outside the U.S. and, therefore, not subject to the FAA's grounding directives, are taking precautions.
United Airlines, officially subject to the grounding, has 79 Max 737s in its fleet which remained parked. The carrier
is
“continuing to work with the FAA to clarify the inspection process and
requirements for returning all Max 9 aircraft to service,” it announced on
Sunday.
The next step
for carrying out the FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive is for Boeing to
issue a “multi-operator message,” according to United. “The FAA will use this
message to determine the final means of compliance with its airworthiness
directive.”
In the meantime, United said, “We are working
with customers to reaccommodate them on other flights and in some cases have
been able to avoid cancellations by switching to other aircraft types.”
On Saturday,
the carrier had 273 flights scheduled with 90 canceled and nearly 60 “saved by
switching to other aircraft.” For Sunday, 265 flights were scheduled, with
about 180 canceled and 85 flights “saved” because of aircraft switching.
Outside the U.S. both Turkish Airlines, with five Max 9 aircraft in its fleet, and Panama-based Copa Airlines, with 21 Max 9s, grounded planes for inspection. Both airlines issued statements on Saturday that they expected to complete inspections within 24 hours, but Copa expected delays and cancellations that were "beyond the airline's control," according to a spokesperson.
Boeing defended its record and showed its support of the investigation: "Safety is our top priority, and we deeply regret the
impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers," Boeing
said in a statement. "We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision
to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration
as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting
the NTSB's investigation into last night's event. We will remain in close
contact with our regulator and customers."
Aviation trial attorney John Clifford, speaking to CNN, called Boeing's
statements "lip service to the idea that they put safety over profits,"
given the plagued safety record of the Max-8 and -9 jets. In March 2019 the FAA called for the indefinite
grounding of all Max-8 and -9 jets,
following two deadly crashes of the Max-8 aircraft in flights operated by
Ethiopian Airlines and Indonesian's Lion Air. The indefinite grounding lasted
about 20 month and was lifted
in November 2020.
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This article has been updated from its original version to include new statements from United Airlines and additional information about non-U.S. airlines that were affected.