NEWS: FAA Launches Investigation Following Alaska Airlines Incident

Recently, a midair flight incident occurred on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplane that resulted in an emergency landing.

Following the event, several Alaska Airlines flights have been canceled, and now the Federal Aviation Administration announced an official investigation into Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 planes.

Alaska Airlines has canceled all flights on its 737 MAX 9 planes through Saturday, January 13th. This is the same make and model of the plane that experienced an in-flight incident resulting in the blowout of a fuselage panel.

According to NPR, Alaska Airlines has reportedly canceled the flights out of precaution as they await further instructions “from Boeing and federal officials on how to inspect the fleet.” This cancellation means that 110 to 150 flights a day will be affected. As of late afternoon on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, one-fifth of its schedule for the day had been canceled, affecting 125 flights.

Alaska Airlines said in a statement online, “We hope this action provides guests with a little more certainty, and we are working around the clock to re-accommodate impacted guests on other flights.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stepped in to investigate the missing “plug type passenger door and discrepancies.” The FAA hasn’t estimated how long the investigation is expected to take but aims to resolve the investigation when they feel satisfied that passengers riding in Boeing 737-9 MAXs again are safe.

This incident should have never happened and it cannot happen again. The FAA formally notified Boeing that it is conducting an investigation. pic.twitter.com/FJripns1CP

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2024

 

The FAA’s official notice to Boeing states that the previous incident should never have happened, and the FAA is doing everything within its power to prevent another incident from occurring.

Boeing has stated they’re actively updating inspection procedures based on comments from the FAA and the airlines. However, neither company can estimate just how long this investigation (and subsequent changes that may be required) might take.

Boeing’s CEO David Calhoun advised  employees at the 737 factory in Renton, Washington, that the Boeing company was “acknowledging our mistake … and that this event can never happen again.”

We’ll be keeping watch of flights, changes, updates, cancellations, and more, so stay tuned with us at All Ears.

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