2024-01-27 03:48:00
The American airline Alaska Airlines on Friday returned to service one of its Boeing 737 MAX 9s, suspended from flight by the American regulator following the door of a plane unhooked in mid-flight on January 5.
The company announced online in the morning that its flight 1146 would launch the gradual return to service of its fleet of 65 737 MAX 9 planes.
The returned aircraft, flying from Seattle to San Diego, took off regarding an hour late, landing at its destination in southern California shortly following 3 a.m. The aircraft was among the most followed in the world on the flight tracking site Flightradar24, notably ahead of one of the planes of the Saudi royal family.
Ben Minicucci, boss of Alaska Airlines, clarified Thursday, during an audio conference with analysts devoted to 2023 results, that he anticipated a resumption of these flights from Friday.
The return to operation of the fleet should last until the beginning of February.
Planes suspended from flight
On January 5, a cap holder in the cabin of one of Alaska Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 9s flying from Portland (Oregon) to Ontario (California) came loose in flight.
Airlines have the possibility of blocking a door when the number of existing emergency exits is sufficient in relation to the number of seats on the aircraft. This modification has been made on 171 of the 218 Boeing 737 MAX 9s delivered to date.
Following the incident, the American Aviation Regulatory Agency (FAA) suspended the aircraft configured in this way until further notice.
>> Reread: The Boeing 737 MAX 9 grounded in the United States following a door took off
The regulator announced Wednesday evening that it had established a “vast” maintenance and inspection program to allow these planes to return to the air.
Investigation still ongoing
Alaska Airlines said Friday morning that the inspection of its fleet – up to a dozen hours per aircraft – should be completed “by the end of next week”.
“This will allow us to operate our flight program in full,” noted the company, which estimates that 3,000 flights will have been canceled in January due to the suspension, for financial consequences estimated at $150 million.
The US Transportation Safety Agency (NTSB), responsible for determining the circumstances of the January 5 incident, indicated Friday that one of its investigators was to return that same day to the Boeing factory in Renton, in Washington State.
The team of investigators will “establish a chronology from the first stages of production of the cap holder to the in-flight accident,” said the agency, adding that they will also review the documentation linked to the aircraft (production and maintenance). She is expected to report on her investigation next week.
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