Boeing 737 MAX 9 Remains Grounded with No Set Date for Return to the Skies

 

After a thorough five-day inspection involving 40 evaluations, Boeing's 737 MAX 9 remains grounded with no clear timeline for when it can resume flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that it had initiated a review of data from the initial inspections of the grounded 737 MAX 9 planes. These planes, numbering around 171, came under regulatory and public scrutiny after a door plug, designed to cover an unused emergency exit, dislodged during an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland on January 5.

In response to the incident, the FAA swiftly grounded the MAX 9 planes featuring the problematic door plug. Investigators suspect that bolts intended to secure the plug to the aircraft may have been incorrectly installed or were missing altogether.

The aircraft will remain grounded until inspections are carried out according to Boeing's instructions, a process that the FAA has yet to approve.

While the FAA reported the completion of 40 preliminary inspections on Wednesday, this does not signal an imminent return of the MAX 9 to the skies. Instead, it marks an incremental step in what is anticipated to be a lengthy process.

In a statement, the FAA clarified, "All 737-9 MAX aircraft with door plugs will remain grounded pending the FAA’s review and final approval of an inspection and maintenance process that satisfies all FAA safety requirements. Once the FAA approves an inspection and maintenance process, it will be required on every grounded 737-9 MAX prior to future operation."

The guidelines for inspections, a critical step in allowing the planes to resume operations, have undergone a series of approvals and revisions.

Meanwhile, flight delays and cancellations are expected to persist as airlines work to manage the impact of having these planes grounded. As of Wednesday evening, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport experienced 121 canceled flights and 335 delayed flights, according to the FlightAware tracking website.

Boeing indicated that it had provided instructions to Alaska and United Airlines, the two U.S.-based carriers operating the MAX 9, shortly after the safety incident. However, Boeing retracted those instructions on the same day.

The FAA initially approved a method to comply with the emergency airworthiness directive, which mandates immediate action to rectify an unsafe condition. However, the FAA later stated that Boeing needed to revise its initial instructions based on feedback received.

On Friday, the FAA expressed being "encouraged by the exhaustive nature" of Boeing's revised instructions but withheld final approval until reviewing data from the initial inspections.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker emphasized, "We are working to make sure nothing like this happens again. Our only concern is the safety of American travelers, and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not return to the skies until we are entirely satisfied it is safe."

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