The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday announced a clear path forward for Boeing's grounded 737-9 MAX aircraft. resume business.
FAA press release The agency said it has completed an enhanced review and approved a plan to move forward with the inspection and maintenance process. Once completed, the landed plane will be cleared to return to service.
However, as part of the FAA's latest announcement, Boeing was informed that it will not be approved to expand production of its MAX aircraft.
The airline's 737-9 MAX fleet was grounded due to an in-flight accident earlier this month. On January 5, an Alaska Airlines passenger plane flying from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California was forced to make an emergency landing after a door bolt failure caused one of its panels to blow off. None of the 171 passengers and six crew members sat next to the panel, even though the plane was nearly full and there were only seven seats available.
After the incident, Alaska Airlines conducted an internal inspection and reported finding “many bolts loose” on the Boeing plane. United Airlines also found loose bolts on some of its planes.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told NBC News that the loose bolts “will be corrected through the inspection process.”
Boeing said in a statement to the press that it “deeply apologizes for disappointing our airline customers and causing significant disruption to our customers, employees, and passengers.”
“We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to safely return these aircraft to service and improve quality and delivery performance. We will follow the FAA's lead and support our customers every step of the way.” the company added.
On Wednesday, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said, “We grounded the Boeing 737-9 MAX within hours of the accident over Portland and made it clear that the aircraft would not return to service until it was safe.” Stated.
“The thorough and enhanced review that our team completed after several weeks of information gathering has given me and the FAA confidence to proceed to the inspection and maintenance phase,” he continued. “But let me be clear: this is not a return to business as usual for Boeing. We do not intend to approve any additions. Any quality control issues discovered during this process will be resolved.”
The FAA's press release said enhanced maintenance and inspection processes will ensure that all 737-9 MAX door plugs are “compliant.” This process includes “inspecting specific bolts, guide tracks, and fittings,'' “detailed visual inspection of left and right cabin center exit door plugs and dozens of related components,'' “retightening fasteners,'' and “checking for damage or abnormalities.'' Includes “fixes”. conditions. “
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said: fox business On Wednesday, the company said it was “confident in the safety of the aircraft.”
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