Alaska Airlines Incident with Boeing 737 MAX 9 Leads to Global Grounding of the Aircraft

On January 6, U.S. regulators grounded 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners for safety checks following a cabin panel blowout on a new Alaska Airlines jet. The incident occurred as the aircraft, in service for only eight weeks, was climbing after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California. A piece of fuselage tore off the left side of the jet, forcing the pilots to return and land safely with all 171 passengers and six crew on board. Some passengers suffered injuries.

Both Alaska Air and United Airlines, which are the only U.S. carriers using the MAX 9 variant, responded by halting the use of some MAX 9 planes. Alaska Airlines had to cancel 160 flights, or 20% of its scheduled trips, while United canceled 115 flights or 4% of its departures. The travel disruptions from the grounding were expected to last through at least mid-week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they could return to flight. This directive came after social media posts showed the damaged Alaska Airlines jet with deployed oxygen masks and a portion of the aircraft's side wall missing. The fuselage for Boeing 737s is made by Spirit AeroSystems, which also manufactured and installed the particular plug door that suffered the blowout.

The FAA's decision, though not as extensive as the global grounding of Boeing MAX jets almost five years ago, is a significant blow to Boeing as it tries to recover from past safety crises and the pandemic. Boeing has supported the FAA's decision and is actively involved in the investigation. This incident has brought renewed attention to Boeing's manufacturing controls.

Globally, the grounding has been echoed by other carriers. Turkish Airlines, following instructions from its country's civil aviation authority, has grounded its small fleet of five 737 MAX 9 planes pending a technical review. Other airlines such as Aeromexico and Panama’s Copa Airlines have also grounded their MAX 9 jets.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has adopted the FAA MAX 9 directive, and the British air safety regulator required any 737 MAX 9 operator to comply with the FAA directive to enter its airspace. The incident on Flight 1282, which occurred at an altitude of over 16,000 feet, was described by an air safety expert as a "probably pretty violent situation" and "definitely a scary situation" for the passengers.

Boeing released a statement on their official press release page noting “Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. 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 the Jan. 5 accident. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers.”

As the investigations continue, the aviation industry is closely monitoring the situation, which has significant implications for airlines and manufacturers alike. The response to this incident reflects the heightened vigilance in the aviation industry regarding aircraft safety, especially following the prior incidents involving the Boeing 737 MAX series.