Alaska Airlines N704AL landing in a hangar at Portland International Airport on January 9, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.
Matthew Louis Laurent | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration suspended the flight on Wednesday. boeinghad planned to expand production of its 737 Max aircraft, paving the way for the manufacturer’s Max 9 to return to service in the coming days. It was almost three weeks after the door plug popped out during the accident. alaska airlines Flight.
“To be clear, this does not mean Boeing is going back to business as usual,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement Wednesday. “We will not agree to Boeing’s request to expand production or approve additional 737 MAX production lines until the quality control issues identified during this process are resolved.”
Boeing is scrambling to ramp up production of its best-selling jet as airlines seek new jets in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We continue to work fully and transparently with the FAA and follow its guidance to take steps to strengthen Boeing’s safety and quality,” the company said in a statement.
Boeing shares fell about 1% in after-hours trading following the FAA’s announcement.
The FAA also announced Wednesday that it had approved an inspection order for the Max 9 aircraft. The airline was awaiting approval to review its fleet in order to return these aircraft to service.
On January 5, the FAA grounded the 737 Max 9 aircraft after a fuselage panel erupted during flight 1282’s ascent from Portland, Oregon. united airlines Alaska Airlines, the two U.S. airlines operating the plane, also plans to cancel hundreds of flights.
Alaska resumed flying 737 Max 9 flights on Friday, saying “more aircraft will be added each day as testing is completed and each aircraft is deemed fit to fly.”
United Airlines plans to resume flying its aircraft starting Sunday, according to a message to employees from Chief Operating Officer Toby Enqvist.
“In the coming days, our teams will continue to work in a thorough manner with safety and compliance as our top priorities,” Enqvist said in an internal message.
The CEOs of both airlines have expressed their dissatisfaction with Boeing following the issue, which is the most serious in a recent spate of apparent manufacturing defects in Boeing aircraft. It was something. The aircraft for the Alaska flight was delivered late last year.
The FAA is investigating Boeing’s production line after the Alaska flight. Whitaker told CNBC on Tuesday that the FAA will “keep it grounded” at Boeing’s factories until it is confident its quality assurance system is working. He said officials are switching to a “direct inspection” approach with Boeing.
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