US regulators impose additional requirements on Boeing before Max 9 returns
Boeing Max 9 (Photo: Bloomberg)
By Ryan Beene
U.S. aviation regulators have imposed additional requirements on Boeing Co before its 737 Max 9 jets return to service, a sign of a hardened government stance toward the aerospace giant after an accident last week.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is requiring Boeing to provide additional data before the agency approves inspection and maintenance procedures that airlines must complete to resume flights, it said in a statement late Friday. The agency said it wants to review data from an initial round of checks of the plug doors on 40 planes against Boeing’s instructions before determining whether the steps are appropriate for the entire fleet of grounded planes.
“We are working to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in the statement. “Our only concern is the safety of American travelers and the Boeing 737-9 MAX will not return to the skies until we are completely confident it is safe.”
Boeing
Boeing declined to comment on the FAA’s additional requirements.
The move underscores the growing crisis of confidence that Boeing has been embroiled in since the fuselage panel of an Alaska Airlines Max 9 blew off shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Although there were no serious injuries, the accident ended a series of embarrassing quality failures for the company that have fueled scrutiny of its production process.
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The additional assessment also risks the plane being grounded for almost a week.
During preliminary inspections by United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Alaska Air Group Inc. loose bolts from some of their Max 9 aircraft have been found since the accident. The FAA launched a formal investigation into the company’s manufacturing operations on Thursday. It separately announced steps earlier Friday to tighten oversight of the plane maker.
Airlines that fly the Max 9, meanwhile, are still waiting for the green light from the FAA before they can begin the inspections needed to fly the jets again.
Airlines including United, the largest Max 9 operator in the US, canceled hundreds of flights this week because the planes were unavailable. Alaska Airlines said earlier on Friday it would cancel all scheduled flights with the aircraft through January 14.
In addition, United said late Friday that it is extending cancellations for up to nine flights through Jan. 16, while also canceling some flights in the days that follow.
First print: January 13, 2024 | 9:57 am IST