Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that it is canceling all scheduled flights on its Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft through Saturday, citing delays in safety inspections.
The cancellation comes after a window panel was blown off an Alaska Airlines plane during a flight on Friday, prompting the FAA to order a closer inspection of 737 Max 9 planes across the United States.
“The safety of our employees and guests is our top priority, and we will only operate these aircraft once all findings have been fully resolved and all stringent FAA and State of Alaska standards have been met,” the airline said Wednesday. We will return it to service.”
According to airlines, approximately 110 to 150 flights will be canceled per day. United Airlines also canceled flights to inspect its 737 Max 9 aircraft.
“We hope this measure provides a little more certainty for our customers and we are working around the clock to re-route affected customers to other flights,” the airline said. Ta.
Friday's accident was reportedly caused by a loose bolt in a window panel. The plane was rerouted to Portland, Oregon, and no one was seriously injured. Inspections of other aircraft also found loose bolts in door plug window panels.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun issued a statement Tuesday calling the incident a “mistake” that “will never happen again.”
“We are going to address this, first and foremost, by admitting our mistakes and with 100 percent and complete transparency every step of the way,” Calhoun said in a speech to Boeing employees. .
The company's stock price has plummeted, dropping nearly 10% since Friday.
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