Boeing 737 Max 9 planes have been grounded again for “safety checks”. Is it safe to continue flying these flights?

After the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight, US regulators ordered the grounding of the 171 model aircraft until safety was assured.

Thousands of passengers face canceled flights as major airlines ground all Boeing jet flights following an in-flight explosion over Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes had to be grounded for testing after part of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight exploded on Friday.

“The FAA requires immediate inspections of some Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft before resuming flights,” Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whittaker said Saturday. “As we assist the NTSP investigation, security will continue to guide our decision-making [National Transportation Safety Board] About Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.

Boeing accepted the FAA's decision, and its teams are working with the regulator to identify any issues. “We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to immediately inspect 737-9 aircraft of the same configuration as the affected aircraft,” the agency said in a statement, adding: “Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this incident has had on our customers and their passengers. was on.

The inspections required take approximately four to eight hours per flight.

Alaska Airlines grounded 65 of its planes and United Airlines grounded all 79 Max 9 planes.

Several airlines operating the flights have temporarily taken them out of service. Turkish Airlines has grounded five of its 737 Max 9 planes. Flydubai said its three 737 Max 9 planes were not affected when compared to Alaska Airlines planes because they have a “different configuration of cabin exits in the middle of the fuselage” and checked for recent safety updates.

The EU's aviation safety regulator accepted the FAA's MAX 9 directive, but noted that no EU member state airlines “currently operate aircraft with the affected configuration”.

Alaska said Saturday that 18 of its Max 9 planes — about a quarter — have undergone “in-depth inspections as part of intensive maintenance checks” and are ready to return to service once the FAA gives the go-ahead. “We are in contact with the FAA to determine what, if any, additional work is required before these aircraft can return to service,” the company said in a statement.

He added: “The aircraft involved in Flight 1282 was delivered to us on October 31. Part of the aircraft involved in the incident Plug door – A certain fuselage panel near the rear of the aircraft.”

Authorities are still searching for a docking door they believe fell in the Cedar Hills community, about 7 miles west of downtown Portland.

Many problems with the Boeing 737 Max 9

The MAX is the latest version of Boeing's venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle airliner often used on US domestic flights. The aircraft entered service in May 2017.

Boeing's 737 Max has been described as “the most scrutinized transport aircraft in history” following a series of safety concerns.

Two Max 8 planes crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to the grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes around the world for nearly two years, with Boeing only returning to flying in December 2020 after making system changes. Control system involved in accidents.

But Boeing has faced other problems, including the discovery in April of a manufacturing problem with some 737 MAX planes when a supplier used a “substandard process” when installing two accessories in the rear – but Boeing insisted there was no problem. created a security risk.

The problems didn't stop there. In December, Boeing resumed tests on its Max.

According to aviation expert John Strickland, As quoted by the BBC, the Alaska Airlines incident is very different from those accidents, and since the 737 Max returned to service, it has had a “great safety record.” “While we know little about why this part of the spare was destroyed – it has nothing to do with the plane being grounded for 18 months,” he told BBC News. “But it's natural for Alaska Airlines to take a cautious approach and ground its fleet.”