Passenger oxygen masks hang from the roof next to a missing window and a portion of a side wall of an Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which had been certain for Ontario, California and suffered depressurization soon after departing, in Portland, Oregon, U.S., on Jan. 5, 2024, on this picture obtained from social media.
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The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered airlines to ground greater than 170 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections, a day after after a panel on one blew out in the midst of an Alaska Airlines flight.
The emergency airworthiness directive will affect about 171 planes worldwide and applies to U.S. airlines and carriers operating in U.S. territory.
No serious injuries were reported aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, in keeping with federal safety officials. The flight returned to Portland, Oregon, shortly after takeoff on Friday after a pressurization issue was reported. Boeing delivered the plane late last 12 months.
Images and video of Alaska’s Boeing 737 Max 9 shared on social media showed a gaping hole on the side of the plane and passengers using oxygen masks before it returned to Portland. It had been certain for Ontario, California.
Alaska Airlines overnight said it could ground its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes. United Airlines, the most important operator of the planes within the U.S., was preparing to ground dozens of its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections, CNBC reported earlier Saturday.
United has near 80 of the planes in its fleet, though among the jets have recently undergone in-depth, routine inspections.
The FAA said the inspections will take between 4 and eight hours per plane.
That is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
