Machines are subjected to inspections lasting a few hours. On Friday, a piece of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines plane broke off during a flight in Oregon, USA.
The United States Aviation Authority (FAA) announced today that some of the country’s Boeing 737 Max 9 planes will be temporarily grounded and inspected.
The FAA’s decision affects 171 planes around the world. According to the authority, the inspections last from four to eight hours.
On Friday, the plane that left Portland, USA, had to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff, because a piece of the plane’s fuselage broke off. There were 171 passengers on the plane. No one was seriously injured.
A piece came off the part of the frame where there was a place for an extra emergency exit. Additional emergency exits are typically built in Low-cost airlines’ planes, which have more seats and therefore require more evacuation routes. For example, on an Alaska Airlines plane, these openings are permanently blocked, Reuters describes.
The plane had only been in use for eight weeks, reports the Reuters news agency.
The largest number of Boeing MAX 9 planes are used by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. The planes are also operated by, among others, Turkish Airlines and Icelandair.
According to the European Union’s Aviation Safety Authority (EASA), the plane model that has now undergone inspections is not in use in EU countries.
Turkish Airlines is shelving its five Boeing planes
Turkish Airlines will temporarily stop using its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes and set them for additional inspections. Turkish Airlines has five model aircraft.
On the other hand, the low-cost airline of the United Arab Emirates, Flydubai announced on Sundaythat flights with its three Boeing 737 Max 9 planes will continue as normal.
The Boeing company has so far handed over 218 737 MAX planes to customers, reports news agency AFP.
Source: Reuters, AFP