Regulators order inspections on some Boeing MAX 9 planes after emergency

WASHINGTON: Airlines and safety bodies around the world grounded some versions of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections on Sunday, with dozens of flights cancelled over the weekend after a panel blew out of one of the planes over the western US state of Oregon.

The Federal Aviation Administration “is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes before they can return to flight,” the agency said on X.

It added that around 171 aircraft worldwide would be affected, with each inspection taking four to eight hours. Alaska and United Airlines fly the largest number of MAX 9 planes, while Turkish Airlines has a smaller fleet.

As of Sunday, all three airlines had grounded their jets for inspection. Boeing has so far delivered about 218 of the 737 MAX planes worldwide, the company told AFP.

US-based Alaska Airlines grounded all 65 of its Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes on Friday after a flight carrying 171 passengers and six crew was forced to make an emergency landing. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said a sealed-over door panel had opened and come off mid-flight.

Alaska Flight 1282 had departed from Portland International Airport and was still gaining altitude when the cabin crew reported a “pressurization issue,” according to the FAA. The plane quickly returned to Portland and there were no major injuries.

Images posted on social media showed a side panel of the plane blown out, with emergency oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling. “Following tonight´s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said on Friday.

“Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections,” he said. Passenger Kyle Rinker told CNN the problem occurred soon after takeoff.

“It was really abrupt. Just got to altitude, and the window/wall just popped off,” he told the broadcaster. The NTSB said no-one was sitting in the two places nearest the panel, but the Oregonian newspaper quoted passengers as saying a young boy seated in the row had his shirt ripped off by the sudden decompression, injuring him slightly.

Aviation specialist John Ostrower, of the Air Current website, said the affected panel was a so-called mid-aft door that Boeing “deactivates” for some carriers before delivering the planes. According to Aviation Week magazine, airlines that do not choose MAX models offering the maximum seating configurations can have the door sealed up, which makes it look like a typical window.