Boeing told employees Monday that it plans to increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 aircraft, following the failure of an emergency exit door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight Jan. 5.
The inspections come after federal regulators grounded the 737 Max, and after Boeing said it is “clear that we are not where we need to be” on quality assurance and controls.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the only U.S. carriers with the Max 9 aircraft. As of Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration had not said when it would allow the airlines to put the planes back into service.
Alaska had canceled all Boeing 737 MAX 9 flights through Tuesday, Jan. 16, while it waits for further instructions from the FAA. The cancellations have eliminated about 110 to 150 flights per day at the airline — around 20% of its flights. It has 65 Max 9 aircraft in its fleet.
The Max 9 is not used on the flights that come into Wrangell, though travelers are encountering cancellations and delays with connections in Seattle.
It is the latest in a series of troubles for Boeing, whose reputation as the premier American aircraft manufacturer has been tarnished by a series of manufacturing flaws that have led some airlines to hold off aircraft purchases or go with its European rival, Airbus.
Boeing is bringing in independent inspectors to go over the Max 9 aircraft as needed, Stan Deal, the president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in an email to employees.
One of two door plugs on an Alaska Max 9 blew out shortly after the plane took off from Portland, leaving a hole in the plane. The cabin lost pressure and the plane was forced to descend rapidly and return to Portland for an emergency landing. No serious injuries were reported.
Following the incident, the FAA announced it plans an investigation into whether the manufacturer failed to make sure a fuselage panel that blew off was safe and manufactured to meet the design that regulators approved.
The National Transportation Safety Board also is focusing its investigation on those panels, which are installed to fill slots built into the fuselage should an airline configure the Max 9 to carry more passengers and need an additional emergency door.
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