The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday unveiled the process for returning Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft to service after they were grounded earlier this month due to a mid-air explosion during an Alaska Airlines flight.
of The FAA announced Wednesday It authorized a “thorough inspection and maintenance process” for each of the 171 grounded Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. Once this process is complete, the aircraft will return to service, officials said.
“The thorough and enhanced review that our team completed after several weeks of gathering information gives me and the FAA confidence to move forward with the inspection and maintenance phase,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. said. “But let me be clear: This is not a return to business as usual for Boeing.”
Whitaker explained that the FAA will not agree to requests to further increase production of the 737 Max aircraft until it is “satisfied” that quality control issues with aircraft companies have been resolved.
The maintenance process includes inspection of the left and right mid-cabin exit door plugs and other parts, as well as “certain bolts, guide tracks and fittings.” This includes retightening fasteners and correcting any damage or abnormal conditions, the FAA said.
The FAA's statement comes weeks after a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane was flying at 16,000 feet over Oregon when a door plug blew off, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane.
The plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport, and the FAA grounded an estimated 171 planes the next day.
The FAA is leading an investigation into whether Boeing failed to ensure its planes comply with the agency's safety regulations, along with an audit of Boeing's Max 9 production line and suppliers.
Boeing also conducts its own inspections, including seeking approval to install door plugs before sending them to a Washington-based factory.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC News that a new internal inspection of the 737 Max 9 aircraft found “a number of loose bolts” on the plane.
Asked when airlines would be able to fly these aircraft again, Minicucci said the inspections would take “about 10 hours per door.”
Minicucci said the process will take “several days” to complete after receiving the FAA's instructions.
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