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United Airlines and Alaska Airlines have uncovered loose parts on some grounded Boeing 737 Max aircraft, escalating concerns for the aerospace giant following a recent mid-air incident. United's inspections revealed installation issues in the door plug of its 737 Max 9s, prompting corrective actions to safely resume service. This discovery, reported by The Air Current, led to an 8% drop in Boeing's stock and an 11% decrease in Spirit AeroSystems shares, its major supplier. Alaska Airlines reported visible loose hardware and awaits documentation for formal inspections from Boeing and the FAA.
According to a report in the Financial Times, the FAA grounded all Max 9s configured with permanently shut doors, affecting carriers with denser seating configurations. United, with 79 Max 9s of this configuration, leads in numbers, followed by Alaska with 65, and a combined total of 52 at Copa Airlines, Aeroméxico, and Icelandair.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident involving an Alaska Airlines Max 9, which lost part of its fuselage mid-air. The NTSB located the door in a Portland suburb but has not yet recovered the four bolts designed to prevent upward movement.
Leading airlines flying 737 Max 9s and their current status:
- United Airlines: 79 (Suspended service of selected aircraft)
- Alaska Airlines: 65 (Suspended service of aircraft)
- Copa Airlines: 29 (Suspended service of 21 aircraft)
- Aeroméxico: 19 (Suspended service of aircraft)
- Turkish Airlines: 5 (Suspended service of aircraft)
- Icelandair: 4 (Service unaffected due to different configuration)
- Lion Air: 3 (Suspended service of aircraft)
- Flydubai: 3 (Service unaffected due to different configuration)
United has canceled nearly 8% of its Monday flights, affecting 200 Max 9s, while Alaska Airlines has canceled 22% of its flights. The FAA, reviewing Boeing's technical instructions, expects inspections to take four to eight hours. Boeing emphasizes commitment to safety standards and expresses regret for the impact on customers.
[Source: Financial Times]
