Alaska Airlines N704AL, a 737 Max 9, which made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport on January 5 is parked at a maintenance hanger in Portland, Oregon on January 23, 2024.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
Alaska Airlines said Thursday that the weekslong grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 will cost the carrier $150 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded the planes a day after a door plug blew out during an Alaska flight on Jan. 5. Late Wednesday the agency said it approved inspection instructions that will allow that style of aircraft to return to service.
Alaska said Wednesday that the primary Max 9 flights would resume as early as Friday and that it will step by step return the aircraft to service through early February.
Each Alaska and United Airlines, the 2 U.S. carriers which have the Max 9s of their fleets, said they found loose bolts on several Max 9 planes during preliminary inspections shortly after the accident.
Alaska on Thursday forecast full-year adjusted earnings per share of between $3 and $5, including the hit from the Max grounding. Analysts polled by LSEG, formerly referred to as Refinitiv, were predicting adjusted earnings of $4.93 a share on average.
Alaska said before the grounding, it expected to grow capability from 3% to five% this 12 months, but, “given the grounding, and the potential for future delivery delays, the Company expects capability growth to be at or below the lower end of this range.”
Shares of Alaska rose greater than 4% on Thursday.
Alaska’s CFO, Shane Tackett, said on an earnings call on Thursday that “while we fully expect to be made whole for the profit impact of the grounding, we wouldn’t have details to share today on that process, nor have we incorporated this into our guidance.”
Alaska and United CEOs have expressed frustration and anger with Boeing this week after the accident.
“I’m greater than frustrated and disillusioned,” Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC News on Tuesday. “I’m indignant.”
The impairment disclosure Thursday got here alongside the corporate’s fourth-quarter earnings report.
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