Grounded Boeing Max 9 jets could fly again within days
Federal regulators cleared the way Wednesday for Boeing 737 Max 9 jets to fly again — but also said they would place new limits on production of the troubled planes.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded about 170 Max 9 planes on Jan. 6 after a body panel on an Alaska Airlines Max came loose nine minutes after the flight took off from Portland, Oregon, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. plane was left behind.
On Wednesday, the agency approved a series of inspection and maintenance procedures and said airlines could resume flying the jets once checks were completed. The process includes requiring airlines to inspect certain bolts and fasteners and to retorque fasteners on the panel, also called a door plug, which is placed where an emergency exit would be if an aircraft had more seats .
United Airlines said it would begin inspecting its 79 Max 9 planes under the new guidelines and expected to resume using them on flights on Sunday. said Alaska Airlines on its website that it planned to return a “few aircraft” to service on Friday, “with more aircraft arriving each day as inspections are completed and each aircraft is deemed airworthy.” The airline said it expected to inspect all 65 Max 9 aircraft in the coming week.
Mike Whitaker, the FAA's administrator, said in a statement Wednesday that the agency was confident the planes, with appropriate checks, were safe.
“We grounded the Boeing 737-9 Max within hours of the incident over Portland and made it clear that this aircraft would not return to service until it was safe,” he said.
But while existing planes could begin flying within a few days, the FAA made it clear that Boeing's problems were far from over. In its statement, the agency said it would not allow Boeing to expand production of any of the 737 Max planes — not just the Max 9 but also other versions of the plane.
“Let me be clear: this will not be business as usual for Boeing,” Mr. Whitaker said in the statement. He said the agency would not approve production increases until it was “satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process have been resolved.”
The FAA order is the latest in a series of problems for Boeing, and especially for the 737 Max. The range of fuel-efficient aircraft was intended to help the company regain ground it had lost to its European competitor Airbus, and it quickly became the best-selling aircraft in Boeing's history. But crashes of another variant of the plane, the Max 8, in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people and grounded the Max worldwide.
The near-disaster in January led to renewed scrutiny of quality control at Boeing and its contractors, including Spirit AeroSystems, a supplier that makes the bodywork for the 737 Max in Wichita, Kan.
The FAA said Wednesday it would increase oversight of Boeing and begin an investigation into the company's practices.
“The quality assurance issues we have seen are unacceptable,” Mr Whitaker said. “That is why we will have more people on site to closely monitor and monitor production and production activities.”
In a statement following the FAA's announcement on Wednesday, Boeing said it would “continue to cooperate fully and transparently” with the agency and monitor its direction.
“We will also work closely with our aviation customers as they complete the required inspection procedures to safely return their 737-9 aircraft to service,” the company said.
Sydney Ember reporting contributed.