US regulator grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9, airlines still cancel flights – Liberation

There is no end to the crisis for Boeing. The US Civil Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) announced on Friday that all 737 MAX 9 planes will have to remain grounded until their manufacturer Boeing provides more data on the mid-flight stall of the aircraft’s doors at Alaska Airlines. “For the safety of American travelers, the FAA is grounding the Boeing 737-9 MAX until extensive inspections and maintenance are completed and data collected is reviewed.”

The FAA said in a statement.

On January 5, a door came loose from the cabin of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, but the incident resulted in only minor injuries and the plane was able to land safely. at its airport of origin. The FAA has launched a safety investigation into the incident, the first major flight safety issue on a Boeing plane since the deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in the plane’s prolonged grounding.

“We are working to ensure that nothing like this happens again, FAA Administrator Mike Whittaker said. Our only concern is the safety of American travelers and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not be able to return to the air until we are fully satisfied that it is safe.

But so the regulator confirmed it “will not approve the inspection and maintenance process until it reviews the data from the first round of 40 inspections”, But added that he did justice “encouraging” Appearance “Comprehensive Instructions for Inspections and Maintenance Conducted by Boeing”.

Hundreds of flights cancelled

Earlier Friday, the FAA announced it plans to increase oversight of Boeing’s manufacturing and production, including audits of the 737 MAX production line and suppliers. The regulator said it is also studying the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing inspections. “It is time to re-examine the delegation of authority and assess the associated security risks,” Whitaker said. “The grounding of the 737-9 and multiple production-related issues identified in recent years require us to examine all options to mitigate risk.” He declared.

Airlines, including United Airlines, the largest Max 9 operator in the United States, have canceled hundreds of flights this week due to the unavailability of these planes. Alaska Airlines announced Friday that it would cancel all flights scheduled until Sunday, and United announced Friday evening that it would extend the cancellation of Max 9 flights through Tuesday, while also canceling some flights in the coming days.